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TOM,  LOOKING   TOWARD    HIS    WIRELESS    STATION,   SAW   NEARLY 
HALF  OF  THE  ISLAND    DISAPPEAR.—  Page  203. 

Trm  Swift  and  His  Wirtlest  Mttfaft. 


TOM   SWIFT   AND   HIS 
WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

OR 

The  Castaways  of  Earthquake  Island 


BY 
VICTOR  APPLETON 

or  "TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR-CYCLE,"  "TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS 

MOTOR  BOAT,"  "TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP,"  "TOM  SWIFT 

AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT,"  "TOM  SWIFT  AMD 

.  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT,"  ETC. 


ILLUSTRATED 


NEW  YORK 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 
PUBLISHERS 

M»de  in  the  United  States  of  America 


BOOKS  BY  VICTOR  APPLETON 
THE  TOM  SWIFT  SERIES 


1OM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR-CYCLE 

Or  Fun  and  Adventures  on  the  Road 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR-BOAT 

Or  the  Rivals  of  Lake  Carlopa 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

Or  the  Stirring  Cruise  of  the  Red  Cloud 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT 

Or  Under  the  Ocean  for  Sunken  Treasure 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT 

Or  the  Speediest  Car  on  the  Road 
TOM  SWIFT  AND   HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Or  the  Castaways  of  Earthquake  Island 
TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

Or  the  Secret  of  Phantom  Mountain 
TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CAVES  OF  ICE 

Or  the  Wreck  of  the  Airship 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SKY  RACER 

Or  the  Quickest  Flight  on  Record 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

Or  Daring  Adventures  in  Elephant  Land 

-  (Other  Volumes  in  Preparation) 


GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT,  1911,  BY 
GROSSET  &  DUNLAP 


Tom  Swift  and  His  Wireless  Message 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I    AN  APPEAL  FOR  AID i 

II    Miss  NESTOR'S  NEWS 10 

III  TOM  KNOCKS  OUT  ANDY 21 

IV  MR.  DAMON  WILL  Go  ALONG 32 

V    VOL-PLANING  TO  EARTH 38 

VI    THE  NEW  AIRSHIP 50 

VII    MAKING  SOME  CHANGES 58 

VIII    ANDY  FOGER'S  REVENGE 65 

IX    THE  WHIZZER  FLIES 7J 

X    OVER  THE  OCEAN 83 

XI    A  NIGHT  OF  TERROR 94 

XII    A  DOWNWARD  GLIDE 102 

XIII  ON  EARTHQUAKE  ISLAND in 

XIV  A  NIGHT  IN  CAMP 119 

XV    THE  OTHER  CASTAWAYS 129 

XVI    AN  ALARMING  THEORY 136 

XVII    A  MIGHTY  SHOCK 144 

XVIII    MR.  JENKS  HAS  DIAMONDS 151 

XIX    SECRET  OPERATIONS 159 

XX    THE  WIRELESS  PLANT 165 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

XXI    MESSAGES  INTO  SPACE  .....................  172 

XXII    ANXIOUS  DAYS  ............................  180 

XXIII  A  REPLY  IN  THE  DARK  ....................  188 

XXIV  "WE  ARE  LOST!"  .........................  199 

XXV    THE  RESCUE—  CONCLUSION  .................  205 


TOM  SWIFT  AND   HIS 
WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

CHAPTER  I 

AN   APPEAL   FOR   AID 

TOM  SWIFT  stepped  from  the  door  of  the  ma- 
chine shop,  where  he  was  at  work  making  some 
adjustments  to  the  motor  of  his  airship,  and 
glanced  down  the  road.  He  saw  a  cloud  of 
dust,  which  effectually  concealed  whatever  was 
causing  it. 

"Some  one  must  be  in  a  hurry  this  morning," 
the  lad  remarked.  "Looks  like  a  motor  speed- 
ing along.  My!  but  we  certainly  do  need  rain," 
he  added,  as  he  looked  up  toward  the  sky.  "It's 
very  dusty.  Well,  I  may  as  well  get  back  to 
work.  I'll  take  the  airship  ont  for  a  flight  this 
afternoon,  if  the  wind  dies  down  a  bit." 

The  young  inventor,  for  Tom  Swift  himself 
had  built  the  airship,  as  well  as  several  other 
i 


2         TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

crafts  for  swift  locomotion,  turned  to  re-enter 
the  shop. 

Something  about  the  approaching  cloud  of 
dust,  however,  held  his  attention.  He  glanced 
more  intently  at  it. 

"If  it's  an  automobile  coming  along,"  he  mur- 
mured, "it's  moving  very  slowly,  to  make  so 
much  fuss.  And  I  never  saw  a  motor-cycle  that 
would  kic-k  up  as  much  sand,  and  not  speed  along 
more.  It  ought  to  be  here  by  now.  I  wonder 
what  it  can  be?" 

The  cloud  of  highway  dirt  rolled  along,  mak- 
ing some  progress  toward  Tom's  house  and  the 
group  of  shops  and  other  buildings  surrounding 
it.  But,  as  the  lad  had  said,  the  dust  did  not 
move  at  all  quickly  in  comparison  to  any  of  the 
speedy  machines  that  might  be  causing  it.  And 
the  cloud  seemed  momentarily  to  grow  thicker 
and  thicker. 

"I  wonder  if  it  could  be  a  miniature  tornado, 
or  a  cyclone  or  whirlwind?"  and  Tom  spoke 
aloud,  a  habit  of  his  when  he  was  thinking,  and 
had  no  one  to  talk  to.  "Yet  it  can  hardly  be 
that,"  he  went  on.  "Guess  I'll  watch  and  see  what 
it  is." 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  dust  cloud.  Tom 
peered  anxiously  ahead,  a  puzzled  look  on  his 
face.  A  few  seconds  later  there  came  from  the 


AN  APPEAL  FOR  AID  3 

midst  of  the  obscuring  cloud  a  voice,  exclaim- 
ing: 

"G'lang  there  now,  Boomerang!  Keep  yo' 
feet  a-movin'  an'  we  sho'  will  make  a  record. 
'Tain't  laik  we  was  a  autermobiler,  er  a  electricity 
car,  but  we  sho'  hab  been  goin'  sence  we  started. 
Yo'  sho'  done  yo'se'f  proud  t'day,  Boomerang, 
an'  I'se  gwine  t'  keep  mah  promise  an'  gib  yo' 
de  bestest  oats  I  kin  find.  Ah  reckon  Massa  Tom 
Swift  will  done  say  we  brought  dis  yeah  mes- 
sage t'  him  as  quick  as  anybody  could." 

Then  there  followed  the  sound  of  hoofbeats 
on  the  dusty  road,  and  the  rattle  of  some  many- 
jointed  vehicle,  with  loose  springs  and  looser 
wheels. 

"Eradicate  Sampson!"  exclaimed  Tom.  "But 
who  would  ever  think  that  the  colored  man's 
mule  could  get  up  such  speed  as  that  cloud  of 
dust  indicates.  His  mule's  feet  must  be  work- 
ing overtime,  but  he  goes  backward  about  as 
often  as  he  moves  fonvard.  That  accounts  for 
it.  There's  lots  of  dust,  but  not  much  motion." 

Once  more,  from  the  midst  of  the  ball-like  cloud 
of  dirt  came  the  voice  of  the  colored  man : 

"Now  behave  yo'se'f,  Boomerang.  We'm  al- 
most dere,  an'  den  yo'  kin  sit  down  an'  rest  if  yo' 
laik.  Jest  keep  it  up  a  little  longer,  an'  we'll  gib 


4         TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Massa  Tom  his  telephone.  G'lang  now,  Boom- 
erang." 

The  tattoo  of  hoofbeats  was  slowing  up  now, 
and  the  cloud  of  dust  was  not  so  heavy.  It  was 
gradually  blowing  away.  Tom  Swift  walked 
down  to  the  fence  that  separated  the  house, 
grounds  and  shops  from  the  road.  As  he  got 
there  the  sounds  of  the  mule's  progress,  and 
the  rattle  of  the  wagon,  suddenly  ceased. 

"G'lang !  G'lang !  Don't  yo'  dare  t'  stop  now, 
when  we  am  most  dere !"  cried  Eradicate  Samp- 
son. "Keep  a-movin',  Boomerang !" 

"It's  all  right,  Eradicate.  I'm  here/*  called 
Tom,  and  when  the  last  of  the  dust  had  blown 
away,  the  lad  waved  his  hand  to  an  aged  colored 
man,  who  sat  upon  the  seat  of  perhaps  the  most 
dilapidated  wagon  that  was  ever  dignified  by 
such  a  name.  It  was  held  together  with  bits  of 
wire,  rope  and  strings,  and  each  of  the  four 
wheels  leaned  out  at  a  different  angle.  It  was 
drawn  by  a  big  mule,  whose  bones  seemed  pro- 
truding through  his  skin,  but  that  fact  evidently 
worried  him  but  little,  for  now  the  animal  was 
placidly  sleeping,  while  standing  up,  his  long  ears 
moving  slowly  to  and  fro. 

"Am  dat  yo',  Massa  Tom?"  asked  Eradicate, 
ceasing  his  task  of  jerking  on  the  lines,  to  which 
operation  the  mule  paid  not  the  least  attention. 


AN  APPEAL  FOR  AID  5 

"Yes,  I'm  here,  Rad,"  replied  Tom,  smiling. 
"I  came  out  of  my  shop  to  see  what  all  the  ex- 
citement was  about.  How  did  you  ever  get  your 
mule  to  make  so  much  dust?" 

"I  done  promise  him  an  extra  helpin*  ob  oats 
ef  he  make  good  time,"  said  the  colored  man. 
"An*  he  done  it,  too.  Did  yo'  see  de  dust  we 
made?" 

"I  sure  did,  but  you  didn't  do  much  else.  And 
you  didn't  make  very  good  time.  I  watched  you, 
and  you  came  along  like  an  ice  wagon  after  a 
day's  work  on  the  Fourth  of  July.  You  were 
going  fast,  but  moving  slow." 

"I  'spects  we  was,  Massa  Tom,"  was  the 
colored  man's  answer.  "But  Boomerang  done 
better  dan  I  'spected  he  would.  I  done  tole  him 
yo'd  be  in  a  hurry  t'  git  yo'  telephone,  an'  he  sho' 
did  trot  along." 

"My  telephone?"  repeated  Tom,  wonderingly. 
"What  have  you  and  your  mule  Boomerang  to 
do  with  my  telephone?  That's  up  in  the  house." 

"No,  it  ain't!  it's  right  yeah  in  mah  pocket," 
chuckled  Eradicate,  opening  a  ragged  coat,  and 
reaching  for  something.  "I  got  yo'  telephone 
right  yeah,"  he  went  on.  "De  agent  at  de  sta- 
tion see  me  dribin'  ober  dis  way,  an'  he  done  ast 
me  t'  deliber  it.  He  said  as  how  he  ain't  got 
no  messenger  boy  now,  'cause  de  one  he  done  hab 


6         TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSA(*B 

went  on  a  strike  fo'  five  cents  mo'  a  day.  So  I 
done  took  de  telephone,"  and  with  that  the  colored 
man  pulled  out  a  crumpled  yellow  envelope. 

"Oh,  you  mean  a  telegram,"  said  Tom,  with  a 
laugh,  as  he  took  the  message  from  the  odd 
colored  man. 

"Well,  maybe  it's  telegraf,  but  I  done  under- 
stood de  agent  t'  say  telephone.  Anyhow,  dere 
it  is.  An'  I  s'pects  we'd  better  git  along,  Boom- 
erang." 

The  mule  never  moved,  though  Eradicate 
yanked  on  the  reins,  and  used  a  splintered  whip 
with  energy. 

"I  said  as  how  we'd  better  git  along,  Boom- 
erang," went  on  the  darkey,  raising  his  voice. 
"Dinnah  am  mos'  ready,  an'  I'm  goin'  t'  giv  yo1 
an  extra  helpin'  ob  oats." 

The  effect  of  these  words  seemed  magical. 
The  mule  suddenly  came  to  life,  and  was  about 
to  start  off. 

"I  done  thought  dat  would  cotch  yo',  Boom' 
erang,"  chuckled  Eradicate. 

"Wait  a  minute,  Rad,"  called  Tom,  who  was 
tearing  open  the  envelope  of  the  telegram.  "I 
might  want  to  send  an  answer  back  by  you.  I 
wonder  who  is  wiring  me  now?" 

He  read  the  message  slowly,  and  Eradicate  re- 
marked : 


AN  APPEAL  FOR  AID  7 

"  'Taint  no  kind  ob  use,  Massa  Tom,  fo'  t* 
send  a  message  back  wif  me." 

"Why  not  ?"  asked  the  young  inventor,  looking 
up  from  the  sheet  of  yellow  paper. 

"  'Case  as  how  I  done  promised  Boomerang 
his  dinnah,  an'  he  won't  do  nothin'  till  he  has  it. 
Ef  I  started  him  back  t'  town  now  he  would  jest 
lay  down  in  de  road.  I'll  take  de  answer  back 
fo'  you  dis  arternoon." 

"All  right,  perhaps  that  will  do,"  assented 
Tom.  "I  haven't  quite  got  the  hang  of  this  yet. 
Drop  around  this  afternoon,  Rad,"  and  as  the 
colored  man,  who,  with  his  mule  Boomerang,  did 
odd  jobs  around  the  village,  started  off  down  the 
highway,  in  another  cloud  of  dust,  Tom  Swift 
resumed  the  reading  of  the  message. 

"Hum,  this  is  rather  queer,"  he  mused,  when 
having  read  it  once,  he  began  at  it  again.  "It 
must  have  cost  him  something  to  send  all  this 
over  the  wire.  He  could  just  as  well  have  written 
it.  So  he  wants  my  help,  eh?  Well,  I  never 
heard  of  him,  and  he  may  be  all  right,  but  I  had 
other  plans,  and  I  don't  know  whether  I  can  spare 
the  time  to  go  to  Philadelphia  or  not.  I'll  have  to 
think  it  over.  An  electric  airship,  eh?  He's  sort 
of  following  along  the  lines  of  my  inventions. 
Wants  my  aid — hum — well,  I  don't  know " 

Tom's  musings  were 'suddenly  cut  short  by  the 


8         TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

approach  of  an  elderly  gentleman,  who  was  walk- 
ing slowly  down  the  path  that  led  from  the  house 
to  the  country  highway  which  ran  in  front  of  it. 

"A  telegram,  Tom?"  asked  the  newcomer. 

"Yes,  dad,"  was  the  reply.  "I  was  just  coming 
in  to  ask  your  advice  about  it.  Eradicate  brought 
it  to  me." 

"What,  with  his  mule,  Boomerang?"  and  the 
gentleman  seemed  much  amused.  "How  did  he 
ever  get  up  speed  enough  to  deliver  a  telegram  ?" 

"Oh,  Eradicate  has  some  special  means  he  uses 
on  his  mule  when  he's  in  a  hurry.  But  listen  to 
this  message,  dad.  It's  from  a  Mr.  Hosmer  Fen- 
wick,  of  Philadelphia.  He  says : 

"  Tom  Swift — Can  you  come  on  to  Philadel- 
phia at  once  and  aid  me  in  perfecting  my  nev  elec- 
tric airship?  I  want  to  get  it  ready  for  a  flight 
before  some  government  experts  who  have  prom- 
ised to  purchase  several  if  it  works  well.  I  am 
in  trouble,  and  I  can't  get  it  to  rise  off  the  ground. 
I  need  help.  I  have  heard  about  your  airship,  and 
the  other  inventions  you  and  your  father  have 
perfected,  and  I  am  sure  you  can  aid  me.  I  am 
stuck.  Can  you  hurry  to  the  Quaker  City?  I 
will  pay  you  well.  Answer  at  once !'  " 

"Well?"  remarked  Mr.   Swift,  questioningly, 


AN  APPEAL  FOR  AID  9 

as  his  son  finished  reading  the  telegram.  "What 
are  you  going  to  do  about  it,  Tom?" 

"I  don't  exactly  know,  dad.  I  was  going  to 
ask  your  advice.  What  would  you  do?  Who 
is  this  Mr.  Fenwick  ?" 

"Well,  he  is  an  inventor  of  some  note,  but  he 
has  had  many  failures.  I  have  not  heard  of  him 
in  some  years  until  now.  He  is  a  gentleman  of 
wealth,  and  can  be  relied  upon  to  do  just  as  he 
says.  We  are  slightly  acquainted.  Perhaps  it 
would  be  well  to  aid  him,  if  you  can  spare  the 
time.  Not  that  you  need  the  money,  but  inventors 
should  be  mutually  helpful.  If  you  feel  like  going 
to  Philadelphia,  and  aiding  him  in  getting  his  elec- 
tric airship  in  shape,  you  have  my  permission." 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Tom,  doubtfully. 
"I  was  just  getting  my  monoplane  in  shape  for 
a  little  flight.  It  was  nothing  particular,  though. 
Dad,  I  think  I  will  take  a  run  to  Philadelphia, 
and  see  if  I  can  help  Mr.  Fenwick.  I'll  wire  him 
that  I  am  coming,  to-morrow  or  next  day." 

"Very  well,"  assented  Mr.  Swift,  and  then  he 
and  his  son  went  into  one  of  the  shops,  talking  of 
a  new  invention  which  they  were  about  to  patent. 

Tom  little  knew  what  a  strange  series  of  ad- 
ventures were  to  follow  his  decision  to  go  to 
the  Quaker  City,  nor  the  danger  involved  in  aid- 
ing Mr.  Fenwick  to  operate  his  electric  airship. 


CHAPTER  II 
MISS  NESTOR'S  NEWS 

"WHEN  do  you  think  you  will  go  to  Phila- 
delphia, Tom?"  asked  Mr.  Swift,  a  little  later, 
as  the  aged  inventor  and  his  son  were  looking 
over  some  blueprints  which  Garret  Jackson,  an 
engineer  employed  by  them,  had  spread  out  on 
a  table. 

"I  don't  exactly  know,"  was  the  answer.  "It's 
quite  a  little  run  from  Shopton,  because  I  can't 
get  a  through  train.  But  I  think  I'll  start  to- 
morrow." 

"Why  do  you  go  by  train?"  asked  Mr.  Jack- 
son. 

"Why — er — because "  was  Tom's  rather 

hesitating  reply.  "How  else  would  I  go?" 

"Your  monoplane  would  be  a  good  deal  quicker, 
and  you  wouldn't  have  to  change  cars,"  said  the 
engineer.  "That  is  if  you  don't  want  to  take  out 
the  big  airship.  Why  don't  you  go  in  the  mono- 
plane?" 


MISS  NESTOR'S  NEWS  II 

"By  Jove !  I  believe  I  will !"  exclaimed  Tom. 
"I  never  thought  of  that,  though  it's  a  wonder  I 
didn't.  I'll  not  take  the  Red  Cloud,  as  she's  too 
hard  to  handle  alone.  But  the  Butterfly  will  be 
just  the  thing,"  and  Tom  looked  over  to  where 
a  new  monoplane  rested  on  the  three  bicycle 
wheels  which  formed  part  of  its  landing  frame. 
"I  haven't  had  it  out  since  I  mended  the  left  wing 
tip,"  he  went  on,  "and  it  will  also  be  a  good  chance 
to  test  my  new  rudder.  I  believe  I  will  go  to 
Philadelphia  by  the  Butterfly." 

"Well,  as  long  as  that's  settled,  suppose  you 
give  us  your  views  on  this  new  form  of  storage 
battery,"  suggested  Mr.  Swift,  with  a  fond  glance 
at  his  son,  for  Tom's  opinion  was  considered  val- 
uable in  matters  electrical,  as  those  of  you,  who 
have  read  the  previous  books  in  this  series,  well 
know. 

The  little  group  in  the  machine  shop  was  soon 
deep  in  the  discussion  of  ohms,  amperes,  volts 
and  currents,  and,  for  a  time,  Tom  almost  for- 
got the  message  calling  him  to  Philadelphia. 

Taking  advantage  of  the  momentary  lull  in  the 
activities  of  the  young  inventor,  I  will  tell  my 
readers  something  about  him,  so  that  those  who 
have  no  previous  introduction  to  him  may  feel 
that  he  is  a  friend. 

Tom  Swift  lived  with  his  father,  Barton  Swift, 


12       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

a  widower,  in  the  village  of  Shopton,  New  York. 
There  was  also  in  the  household  Mrs.  Baggert, 
the  aged  housekeeper,  who  looked  after  Tom  al- 
most like  a  mother.  Garret  Jackson,  an  engineer 
and  general  helper,  also  lived  with  the  Swifts. 

Eradicate  Sampson  might  also  be  called  a  re- 
tainer of  the  family,  for  though  the  aged  colored 
man  and  his  mule  Boomerang  did  odd  work 
about  the  village,  they  were  more  often  employed 
by  Tom  and  his  father  than  by  any  one  else. 
Era*fl'cate  was  so  called  because,  as  he  said,  he 
"eradicated"  the  dirt.  He  did  whitewashing, 
made  gardens,  and  did  anything  else  that  was 
needed.  Boomerang  was  thus  named  by  his 
owner,  because,  as  Eradicate  said,  "yo'  nebber 
know  jest  what  dat  mule  am  goin'  t'  do  next 
He  may  go  forward  or  he  may  go  backward,  jest 
laik  them  Australian  boomerangs." 

There  was  another  valued  friend  of  the  family, 
Wakefield  Damon  by  name,  to  whom  the  reader 
will  be  introduced  in  due  course.  And  then  there 
was  Mary  Nestor,  about  whom  I  prefer  to  let 
Tom  tell  you  himself,  for  he  might  be  jealous 
if  I  talked  too  much  about  her. 

In  the  first  book  of  this  series,  called  "Tom 
Swift  and  His  Motor-Cycle,"  there  was  told  how 
he  became  possessed  of  the  machine,  after  it  had 
nearly  killed  Mr.  Damon,  who  was  learning  to 


MISS  NESTOR'S  NEWS  13 

ride  it.  Mr.  Damon,  who  had  a  habit  of  "bless- 
ing" everything  from  his  collar  button  to  his 
shoe  laces,  did  not  "bless"  the  motor-cycle  aftei 
it  tried  to  climb  a  tree  with  him;  and  he  sold  it 
to  Tom  very  cheaply.  Tom  repaired  it,  invented 
some  new  attachments  for  it,  and  had  a  number 
of  adventures  on  it.  Not  the  least  of  these  was 
trailing  after  a  gang  of  scoundrels  who  tried  to 
get  possession  of  a  valuable  patent  model  be- 
longing to  Mr.  Swift. 

Our  second  book,  called  "Tom  Swift  and  His 
Motor-Boat,"  related  some  exciting  times  follow- 
ing the  acquisition  by  the  young  inventor  of  a 
speedy  craft  which  the  thieves  of  the  patent  model 
had  stolen.  In  the  boat  Tom  raced  with  Andy 
Foger,  a  town  bully,  and  beat  him.  Tom  also 
look  out  on  pleasure  trips  his  chum,  Ned  New- 
ton, who  worked  in  a  Shopton  bank,  and  the 
two  had  fine  times  together.  Need  I  also  say 
that  Mary  Nestor  also  had  trips  in  the  motor- 
boat?  Besides  some  other  stirring  adventures 
in  his  speedy  craft,  Tom  rescued,  from  a  burning 
balloon  that  fell  into  the  lake,  the  aeronaut,  John 
Sharp.  Later  Mr.  Sharp  and  Tom  built  an  air- 
ship, called  the  Red  Cloud,  in  which  they  had 
some  strenuous  times. 

Their  adventures  in  this  craft  of  the  air  form 
the  basis  for  the  third  book  of  the  series,  entitled 


14       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"Tom  Swift  and  His  Airship."  In  the  Red 
Cloud,  Tom  and  his  friends,  including  Mr.  Da- 
mon, started  to  make  a  record  flight.  They  left 
Shopton  the  night  when  the  bank  vault  was 
blown  open,  and  seventy-five  thousand  dollars 
stolen. 

Because  of  evidence  given  by  Andy  Fuger,  and 
his  father,  suspicion  pointed  to  Tom  and  his 
friends  as  the  robbers,  and  they  were  pursued. 
But  they  turned  the  tables  by  capturing  the  real 
burglars,  and  defeating  the  mean  plans  of  the 
Fogers. 

Not  satisfied  with  having  mastered  the  air 
Tom  and  his  father  turned  their  attention  to  the 
water.  Mr.  Swift  perfected  a  new  type  of  craft, 
and  in  the  fourth  book  of  the  series,  called  "Tom 
Swift  and  His  Submarine,"  you  may  read  how 
he  went  after  a  sunken  treasure.  The  party  had 
many  adventures,  and  were  in  no  little  danger 
from  their  enemies  before  they  reached  the  wreck 
with  its  store  of  gold. 

The  fifth  book  of  the  series,  named  "Tom 
Swift  and  His  Electrical  Runabout,"  told  how 
Tom  built  the  speediest  car  on  the  road,  and  won 
a  prize  with  it,  and  also  saved  a  bank  from  ruin. 

Tom  had  to  struggle  against  odds,  not  only  in 
his  inventive  work,  but  because  of  the  meanness 
of  jealous  enemies,  including  Andy  Foger,  who 


MISS  NESTOR'S  NEWS  15 

seemed  to  bear  our  hero  a  grudge  of  long  stand- 
ing. Even  though  Tom  had,  more  than  once, 
thrashed  Andy  well,  the  bully  was  always  seek- 
ing a  chance  to  play  some  mean  trick  on  the 
young  inventor.  Sometimes  he  succeeded,  but 
more  often  the  tables  were  effectually  turned. 

It  was  now  some  time  since  Tom  had  won 
the  prize  in  his  electric  car  and,  in  the  mean- 
while he  had  built  himself  a  smaller  airship,  or, 
rather,  monoplane,  named  the  Butterfly.  In  it 
he  made  several  successful  trips  about  the  coun- 
try, and  gave  exhibitions  at  numerous  aviation 
meets ;  once  winning  a  valuable  prize  for  an  alti- 
tude flight.  In  one  trip  he  had  met  with  a  slight 
accident,  and  the  monoplane  had  only  just  been 
repaired  after  this  when  he  received  the  message 
summoning  him  to  Philadelphia. 

"Well,  Tom,"  remarked  his  father  that  after- 
noon, "if  you  are  going  to  the  Quaker  City,  to 
see  Mr.  Fenwick  to-morrow,  you'd  better  be  get- 
ting ready.  Have  you  wired  him  that  you  will 
come?" 

"No,  I  haven't,  dad,"  was  the  reply.  "I'll  get 
a  message  ready  at  once,  and  when  Eradicate 
comes  back  I'll  have  him  take  it  to  the  telegraph 
office." 

"I  wouldn't  do  that,  Tom." 

"Do  what?" 


16       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"Trust  it  to  Eradicate.  He  means  all  right, 
but  there's  no  telling  when  that  mule  of  his  may 
lie  down  in  the  road,  and  go  to  sleep.  Then  your 
message  won't  get  off,  and  Mr.  Fenwick  may  be 
anxiously  waiting  for  it.  I  wouldn't  like  to  of- 
fend him,  for,  though  he  and  I  have  not  met  in 
some  years,  yet  I  would  be  glad  if  you  could  do 
him  a  favor.  Why  not  take  the  message  your- 
self?" 

"Guess  I  will,  dad.  I'll  run  over  to  Mansburg 
in  my  electric  car,  and  send  the  message  from 
there.  It  will  go  quicker,  and,  besides,  I  want 
to  get  some  piano  wire  to  strengthen  the  wings 
of  my  monoplane." 

"All  right,  Tom,  and  when  you  telegraph  to 
Mr.  Fenwick,  give  him  my  regards,  and  say  that 
I  hope  his  airship  will  be  a  success.  So  it's  an 
electric  one,  eh  ?  I  wonder  how  it  works  ?  But 
you  can  tell  me  when  you  come  back." 

"I  will,  dad.  Mr.  Jackson,  will  you  help  me 
charge  the  batteries  of  my  car.  I  think  they  need 
replenishing.  Then  I'll  get  right  along  to  Mans- 
burg." 

Mansburg  was  a  good-sized  city  some  miles 
from  the  village  of  Shopton,  and  Tom  and  his 
father  had  frequent  business  there. 

The  young  inventor  and  the  engineer  soon  had 
the  electric  car  in  readiness  for  a  swift  run,  for 


MISS  NESTOR'S  NEWS  17 

the  charging  of  th*  batteries  could  be  done  in 
much  less  than  the  time  usual  for  such  an  opera- 
tion, owing  to  a  new  system  perfected  by  Tom. 
The  latter  was  soon  speeding  along  the  road, 
wondering  what  sort  of  an  airship  Mr.  Fenwick 
would  prove  to  have,  and  whether  or  not  it  could 
be  made  to  fly. 

"It's  easy  enough  to  build  an  airship,"  mused 
Tom,  "but  the  difficulty  is  to  get  them  off  the 
ground,  and  keep  them  there."  He  knew,  for 
there  had  been  several  failures  with  his  mono- 
plane before  it  rose  like  a  bird  and  sailed  over  the 
tree-tops. 

The  lad  was  just  entering  the  town,  and  had 
turned  around  a  corner,  twisting  about  to  pass 
a  milk  wagon,  when  he  suddenly  saw,  darting 
out  directly  in  the  path  of  his  car,  a  young 
lady. 

"Look  out!"  yelled  Tom,  ringing  his  electric 
gong,  at  the  same  time  shutting  off  the  current, 
and  jamming  on  the  powerful  brakes. 

There  was  a  momentary  scream  of  terror  from 
the  girl,  and  then,  as  she  looked  at  Tom,  she 
exclaimed : 

"Why,  Tom  Swift!  What  are  you  trying  to 
do?  Run  me  down?" 

"Mary — Miss  Nestor!"  ejaculated  our  hero,  in 
some  confusion. 


18       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGF. 

He  had  brought  his  car  to  a  stop,  and  had 
thrown  open  the  door,  alighting  on  the  crossing, 
while  a  little  knot  of  curious  people  gathered 
about. 

"I  didn't  see  you,"  went  on  the  lad  "I  came 
from  behind  the  milk  wagon,  and " 

"It  was  my  fault,"  Miss  Nestor  hastened  to 
add.  "I,  too,  was  waiting  for  the  milk  wagon 
to  pass,  and  when  it  got  out  of  my  way,  I  darted 
around  the  end  of  it,  without  looking  to  see  if 
anything  else  was  coming.  I  should  have  been 
more  careful,  but  I'm  so  excited  that  I  hardly 
know  what  I'm  doing." 

"Excited?  What's  the  matter?"  asked  Tom, 
for  he  saw  that  his  friend  was  not  her  usual  calm 
self.  "Has  anything  happened,  Mary?" 

"Oh,  I've  such  news  to  tell  you!"  she  ex- 
claimed. 

"Then  get  in  here,  and  we'll  go  on,"  advised 
Tom.  "We  are  collecting  a  crowd.  Come  and 
take  a  ride;  that  is  if  you  have  time." 

"Of  course  I  have,"  the  girl  said,  with  a  little 
blush,  which  Tom  thought  made  her  look  all  the 
prettier.  "Then  we  can  talk.  But  where  are 
you  going?" 

"To  send  a  message  to  a  gentleman  in  Phila- 
delphia, saying  that  I  will  help  him  out  of  some 
difficulties  with  his  new  electric  airship.  I'm  go- 


MISS  NESTOR'S  NEWS  19 

ing  to  take  a  run  down  there  in  my  monoplane, 
Butterfly,  to-morrow,  and " 

"My!  to  hear  you  tell  it,  one  would  think  it 
wasn't  any  more  to  make  an  airship  flight  than 
it  was  to  go  shopping,"  interrupted  Mary,  as  she 
entered  the  electric  car,  followed  by  Tom,  who 
quickly  sent  the  vehicle  down  the  street. 

"Oh,  I'm  getting  used  to  the  upper  air,"  he 
said.  "But  what  is  the  news  you  were  to  tell 
me?" 

"Did  you  know  mamma  and  papa  had  gone  to 
the  West  Indies  ?"  asked  the  girl. 

"No !  I  should  say  that  was  ne\ys.  When  did 
they  go?  I  didn't  know  they  intended  to  make  a 
trip." 

"Neither  did  they;  nor  I,  either.  It  was  very 
sudden.  They  sailed  from  New  York  yesterday. 
Mr.  George  Hosbrook,  a  business  friend  of 
papa's,  offered  to  take  them  on  his  steam  yacht, 
Resolute.  He  is  making  a  little  pleasure  trip, 
with  a  party  of  friends,  and  he  thought  papa  and 
mamma  might  like  to  go. 

"He  wired  to  them,  they  got  ready  in  a  rush, 
caught  the  express  to  New  York,  and  went  off 
in  such  a  hurry  that  I  can  hardly  realize  it  yet 
I'm  left  all  alone,  and  I'm  in  such  trouble !" 

"Well,  I  should  say  that  was  news,"  spoke 
Tom. 


20       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"Oh,  you  haven't  heard  the  worst  yet,"  went 
on  Mary.  "I  don't  call  the  fact  that  papa  and 
mamma  went  off  so  suddenly  much  news.  But 
the  cook  just  left  unexpectedly,  and  I  have  in- 
vited a  lot  of  girl  friends  to  come  and  stay  with 
me,  while  mamma  and  papa  are  away;  and  now 
what  shall  I  do  without  a  cook?  I  was  on  my 
way  down  to  an  intelligence  office,  to  get  another 
servant,  when  you  nearly  ran  me  down!  Now, 
isn't  that  news  ?" 

"I  should  say  it  was — two  kinds,"  admitted 
Tom,  with  a  smile.  "Well,  I'll  help  you  all  I 
can.  I'll  take  you  to  the  intelligence  office,  and 
if  you  can  get  a  cook,  by  hook  or  by  crook,  I'll 
bundle  her  into  this  car,  and  get  her  to  your 
house  before  she  can  change  her  mind.  And  so 
your  people  have  gone  to  the  West  Indies?" 

"Yes,  and  I  wish  I  had  the  chance  to  go." 

"So  do  I,"  spoke  Tom,  little  realizing  how  soon 
his  wish  might  be  granted.  "But  is  there  any 
particular  intelligence  office  you  wish  to  visit?" 

"There's  not  much  choice,"  replied  Mary  Nes- 
tor, with  a  smile,  "as  there's  only  one  in  town. 
Oh,  I  do  hope  I  can  get  a  cook!  It  would  be 
dreadful  to  have  nothing  to  eat,  after  I'd  asked 
the  girls  to  spend  a  month  with  me;  wouldn't  it?" 

Tom  agreed  that  it  certainly  would,  and  they 
Soon  after  arrived  at  the  intelligence  office. 


CHAPTER  III 

TOM    KNOCKS   OUT   ANDY 

"Do  YOU  want  me  to  come  in  and  help  you?" 
asked  the  young  inventor,  of  Miss  Nestor. 

"Do  you  know  anything  about  hiring  a  cook?" 
she  inquired,  with  an  arch  smile. 

"Fm  afraid  I  don't,"  the  lad  was  obliged  to 
confess. 

"Then  I'm  a  little  doubtful  of  your  ability  to 
help  me.  But  I'm  ever  so  much  obliged  to  you. 
I'll  see  if  I  can  engage  one.  The  cook  who  just 
left  went  away  because  I  asked  her  to  make  some 
apple  turnovers.  Some  of  the  girls  who  are  com- 
ing are  very  fond  of  them." 

"So  am  I,"  spoke  Tom,  with  a  smile. 

"Are  you,  indeed?  Then,  if  the  cook  I  hope 
to  get  now  will  make  them,  I'll  invite  you  over 
to  have  some,  and — also  meet  my  friends." 

"I'd  rather  come  when  just  you,  and  the  turn- 
overs and  the  cook  are  there,"  declared  Tom, 
boldly,  and  Mary,  with  a  blush,  made  ready  to 
leave  the  electric  car. 


22       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"Thank  you,"  she  said,  in  a  low  voice. 

"If  I  can't  help  you  select  a  cook,"  went  on 
Tom,  "at  least  let  me  call  and  take  you  home 
when  you  have  engaged  one." 

"Oh,  it  will  be  too  much  trouble,"  protested 
Miss  Nestor. 

"Not  at  all.  I  have  only  to  send  a  message,, 
and  get  some  piano  wire,  and  then  I'll  call  back 
here  for  you.  I'll  take  you  and  the  new  cook 
back  home  flying." 

"All  right,  but  don't  fly  so  fast.  The  cook  may 
get  frightened,  and  leave  before  she  has  a  chance 
to  make  an  apple  turnover." 

"I'll  go  slower.  I'll  be  back  in  fifteen  minutes," 
called  Tom,  as  he  swung  the  car  out  away  from 
the  curb,  while  Mary  Nestor  went  into  the  in- 
telligence office. 

Tom  wrote  and  sent  this  message  to  Mr.  Hos- 
tner  Fenwick,  of  Philadelphia : 

"Will  come  on  to-morrow  in  my  aeroplane, 
and  aid  you  all  I  can.  Will  not  promise  to  make 
your  electric  airship  fly,  though.  Father  sends 
regards." 

"Just  rush  that,  please,"  he  said  to  the  tele- 
graph agent,  and  the  latter,  after  reading  it  over, 
remarked : 


TOM  KNOCKS  OUT  ANDY  23 

"It'll  rush  itself,  I  reckon,  being  all  about  air- 
ships, and  things  like  that,"  and  he  laughed  as 
Tom  paid  him. 

Selecting  several  sizes  of  piano  wire  of  great 
strength,  to  use  as  extra  guy-braces  on  the  But' 
terfly,  Tom  re-entered  his  electric  car,  and 
hastened  back  to  the  intelligence  office,  where  he 
had  left  his  friend.  He  saw  her  standing  at  the 
front  door,  and  before  he  could  alight,  and  go  to 
her,  Miss  Nestor  came  out  to  meet  him. 

"Oh,  Tom !"  she  exclaimed,  with  a  little  tragic 
gesture,  "what  do  you  think?" 

"I  don't  know,"  he  answered  good-naturedly. 
"Does  the  new  cook  refuse  to  come  unless  you 
do  away  with  apple  turnovers?" 

"No,  it  isn't  that.  I  have  engaged  a  real 
treasure,  I'm  sure,  but  as  soon  as  I  mentioned 
that  you  would  take  us  home  in  the  electric 
automobile,  she  flatly  refused  to  come.  She  said 
walking  was  the  only  way  she  would  go.  She 
hasn't  been  in  this  country  long.  But  the  worst 
of  it  is  that  a  rich  woman  has  just  telephoned  in 
for  a  cook,  and  if  I  don't  get  this  one  away,  the 
rich  lady  may  induce  her  to  come  to  her  house, 
and  I'll  be  without  one!  Oh,  what  shall  I  do?" 
*nd  poor  Mary  looked  quite  distressed. 

"Humph!  So  she's  afraid  of  electric  autos; 
«h?"  mused  Tom.  "That's  queer.  Leave  it  to 


24       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

me,  Mary,  and  perhaps  I  can  fix  it.  You  want 
to  get  her  away  from  here  in  a  hurry;  don't 
you?" 

"Yes,  because  servants  are  so  scarce,  that  they 
are  engaged  almost  as  soon  as  they  register  at 
the  intelligence  office.  I  know  the  one  I  have 
hired  is  suspicious  of  me,  since  I  have  mentioned 
your  car,  and  she'll  surely  go  with  Mrs.  Duy 
Puyster  when  she  comes.  I'm  sorry  I  spoke  of 
the  automobile." 

"Well,  don't  worry.  It's  partly  my  fault,  and 
perhaps  I  can  make  amends.  I'll  talk  to  the  new 
cook,"  decided  the  young  inventor. 

"Oh,  Tom,  I  don't  believe  it  will  do  any  good. 
She  won't  come,  and  all  my  girl  friends  will  ar~ 
rive  shortly."  Miss  Nestor  was  quite  distressed. 

"Leave  it  to  me,"  suggested  the  lad,  with  an 
assumed  confidence  he  did  not  feel.  He  left  the 
car,  and  walked  toward  the  office.  Entering  it, 
with  Miss  Nestor  in  his  wake,  he  saw  a  pleasant- 
faced  Irish  girl,  sitting  on  a  bench,  with  a  bundle 
beside  her. 

"And  so  you  don't  want  to  ride  in  an  auto?" 
began  Tom. 

"No,  an'  it's  no  use  of  the  likes  of  you  askin* 
me,  either,"  answered  the  girl,  but  not  impu- 
dently. "I  am  afeered  of  thim  things,  an'  I  won't 
work  in  a  family  that  owns  one." 


TOM  KNOCKS  OUT  ANDY  25 

"But  we  don't  own  one,"  said  Mary. 

The  girl  only  sniffed. 

"It  is  the  very  latest  means  of  traveling,"  Tom 
ivent  on,  "and  there  is  absolutely  no  danger.  I 
ivill  drive  slowly." 

"No!"  snapped  the  new  cook. 

Tom  was  rather  at  his  wits'  ends.  At  that 
moment  the  telephone  rang,  and  Tom  and  Mary, 
listening,  could  hear  the  proprietress  of  the  in- 
telligence office  talking  to  Mrs.  Duy  Puyster  over 
the  wire. 

"We  must  get  her  away  soon,"  whispered 
Mary,  with  a  nod  at  the  Irish  girl,  "or  we'll  lose 
her." 

Tom  was  thinking  rapidly,  but  no  plan  seemed 
to  come  to  him.  A  moment  later  one  of  the  as- 
sistants of  the  office  led  out  from  a  rear  room 
another  Irish  girl,  who,  it  seems,  had  just  en- 
gaged herself  to  work  in  the  country. 

"Good-by,  Bridget,"  said  this  girl,  to  the  one 
Mary  Nestor  had  hired.  "I'm  off  now.  The 
carriage  has  just  come  for  me.  I'm  goin'  away 
in  style." 

"Good  luck,  Sarah,"  wished  Bridget. 

Tom  looked  out  of  the  window.  A  dilapidated 
farm  wagon,  drawn  by  two  rusty-looking  horses, 
was  just  drawing  up  at  the  curb. 

"There  is  your  employer,   Sarah,"   said  the 


26       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

proprietress  of  the  office.  "You  will  have  a  nice 
ride  to  the  country  and  I  hope  you  will  like  the 
place." 

A  typical  country  farmer  alighted  from  the, 
wagon,  leaving  a  woman,  evidently  his  wife,  or 
the  seat.  He  called  out : 

"I'll  git  th'  servant-gal,  'Mandy,  an'  we'll  drive 
right  out  hum.  Then  you  won't  have  such  hard 
work  any  more." 

"An'  so  that's  the  style  you  was  tellin'  me  of; 
eh,  Sarah?"  asked  the  cook  whom  Miss  Nestor 
had  engaged.  "That's  queer  style,  Sarah." 

Sarah  was  blushing  from  shame  and  mortifi- 
cation. Tom  was  quick  to  seize  the  advantage 
thus  offered. 

"Bridget,  if  you  appreciate  style,"  he  said,  "you 
will  come  in  the  automobile.  I  have  one  of  the 
very  latest  models,  and  it  is  very  safe.  But  per- 
haps you  prefer  a  farm  wagon." 

"Indade  an'  I  don't!"  was  the  ready  response. 
"I'll  go  wid  you  now  if  only  to  show  Sarah  Mal- 
loy  thot  I  have  more  style  than  her!  She  was 
boastin'  of  the  fine  place  she  had,  an'  th'  illigant 
carriage  that  was  comin'  t'  take  her  to  the  coun- 
thry.  If  that's  it  I  want  none  of  it!  I'll  go  wid 
you  an'  th'  young  gintleman.  Style  indade!" 
and,  gathering  up  her  bundle  she  followed  Tom 
and  Mary  to  the  waiting  auto. 


TOM  KNOCKS  OUT  ANDY  27 

They  entered  it  and  started  off,  just  as  Mrs. 
Duy  Puyster  drove  up  in  her  elegantly  appointed 
carriage,  while  Sarah,  with  tears  of  mortification 
in  her  eyes,  climbed  up  beside  the  farmer  and 
l.is  wife. 

"You  saved  the  day  for  me,  Tom,"  whispered 
Miss  Nestor,  as  the  young  inventor  increased  the 
speed  of  his  car.  "It  was  only  just  in  time." 

"Don't  forget  the  apple  turnovers,"  he  whis- 
pered back. 

Once  she  had  made  the  plunge,  the  new  cook 
seemed  to  lose  her  fears  of  the  auto,  and  enjoyed 
the  ride.  In  a  short  time  she  had  been  safely 
delivered  at  Miss  Nestor's  home,  while  that  young 
lady  repeated  her  thanks  to  Tom,  and  renewed 
her  invitation  for  him  to  come  and  sample  the 
apple  turnovers,  which  Tom  promised  faithfully 
to  do,  saying  he  would  call  on  his  return  from 
Philadelphia. 

Musing  on  the  amusing  feature  of  his  trip, 
Tom  was  urging  his  auto  along  at  moderate 
speed,  when,  as  he  turned  down  a  country  road, 
leading  to  his  home,  he  saw,  coming  toward  him, 
a  carriage,  drawn  by  a  slow-moving,  white  horse, 
and  containing  a  solitary  figure. 

"Why,  that  looks  like  Andy  Foger,"  spoke 
Tom,  half  aloud.  "I  wonder  what  he's  doing  out 
driving?  His  auto  must  be  out  of  commission. 


28       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

But  that's  not  strange,  considering  the  way  he 
abuses  the  machine.  It's  in  the  repair  shop  half 
the  time." 

He  slowed  down  still  more,  for  he  did  not  know 
but  that  Andy's  horse  might  be  skittish.  He  need 
have  no  fears,  however,  for  the  animal  did  not 
seem  to  have  much  more  life  than  did  Eradicate's 
mule,  Boomerang. 

As  Tom  came  nearer  the  carriage,  he  was  sur- 
prised to  see  Andy  deliberately  swing  his  horse 
across  the  road,  blocking  the  highway  by  means 
of  the  carriage  and  steed. 

"Well,  Andy  Foger,  what  does  that  mean?" 
cried  Tom,  indignantly,  as  he  brought  his  car  to 
a  sudden  stop.  "Why  do  you  block  the  road?" 

"Because  I  want  to,"  snarled  the  bully,  taking 
out  a  notebook  and  pencil,  and  pretending  to 
make  some  notes  about  the  property  in  front  of 
which  he  had  halted.  "I'm  in  the  real  estate 
business  now,"  went  on  Andy,  "and  I'm  getting 
descriptions  of  the  property  I'm  going  to  sell. 
Guess  I've  got  a  right  to  stop  in  the  road  if  I 
want  to!" 

But  not  to  block  it  up,"  retorted  Tom.  "That's 
against  the  law.  Pull  over  and  let  me  pass!" 

"Suppose  I  don't  do  it?" 

"Then  I'll  make  you !" 

"Huh!     I'd  like  to  see  you  try  it!"  snapped 


TOM  KNOCKS  OUT  ANDY  29 

Andy.  "If  you  make  trouble  for  me,  it  will  be 
the  worse  for  you." 

"If  you  pull  to  one  side,  so  I  can  pass,  there'll 
be  no  trouble,"  said  Tom,  seeing  that  Andy 
wished  to  pick  a  quarrel. 

"Well,  I'm  not  going  to  pull  aside  until  I  finish 
putting  down  this  description,"  and  the  bully 
continued  to  write  with  tantalizing  slowness. 

"Look  here!"  exclaimed  Tom  Swift,  with  sud- 
den energy.  "I'm  not  going  to  stand  for  this! 
Either  you  pull  to  one  side  and  let  me  pass, 
or " 

"Well,  what  will  you  do?"  demanded  the  bully. 

"I'll  shove  you  to  one  side,  and  you  can  take 
the  consequences!" 

"You  won't  dare  to!" 

"I  won't,  eh?    Just  you  watch." 

Tom  threw  forward  the  lever  of  his  car.  There 
was  a  hum  of  the  motor,  and  the  electric  moved 
ahead.  Andy  had  continued  to  write  in  the  book, 
but  at  this  sound  he  glanced  up. 

"Don't  you  dare  to  bunk  into  me!"  yelled 
Andy.  "If  you  do  I'll  sue  you  for  damages !" 

"Get  out  of  the  way,  or  I'll  shove  you  off  the 
road!"  threatened  Tom,  calmly. 

"I'll  not  go  until  I  get  ready." 

"Oh,  yes  you  will,"  responded  our  hero  quietly. 
He  s^nt  his  car  ahead  slowly  but  surely.  It  was 


30       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

within  a  few  feet  of  the  carriage  containing  Andy. 
The  bully  had  dropped  his  notebook,  and  was 
shaking  his  fist  at  Tom. 

As  for  the  young  inventor  he  had  his  plans 
made.  He  saw  that  the  horse  was  a  quiet, 
sleepy  one,  that  would  not  run  away,  no  matter 
what  happened,  and  Tom  only  intended  to  gently 
push  the  carriage  to  one  side,  and  pass  on. 

The  front  of  his  auto  came  up  against  the 
other  vehicle. 

"Here,  you  stop !"  cried  Andy,  savagely. 

"It's  too  late  now,"  answered  Tom,  grimly. 

Andy  reached  for  the  horsewhip.  Tom  put 
on  a  little  more  power,  and  the  carriage  began  to 
slide  across  the  road,  but  the  old  horse  never 
opened  his  eyes. 

"Take  that!"  cried  Andy,  raising  his  whip, 
with  the  intention  of  slashing  Tom  across  the 
face,  for  the  front  of  the  auto  was  open.  But 
the  blow  never  fell,  for,  the  next  instant,  the 
carriage  gave  a  lurch  as  one  of  the  wheels  slid 
against  a  stone,  and,  as  Andy  was  standing  up, 
and  leaning  forward,  he  was  pitched  head  first 
out  into  the  road. 

"By  Jove !  I  hope  I  haven't  hurt  him !"  gasped 
Tom,  as  he  leaped  from  his  an  to,  which  he  had 
brought  to  a  stop. 

The  young  inventor  bent  over  the  bully.    There 


TOM  KNOCKS  OUT  ANDY  31 

was  a  little  cut  on  Andy's  forehead,  and  his  face 
was  white.  He  had  been  most  effectually  knocked 
out,  entirely  by  his  own  meanness  and  fault,  but, 
none  the  less,  Tom  was  frightened.  He  raised 
up  Andy's  head  on  his  arm,  and  brushed  back 
his  hair.  Andy  was  unconscious. 


CHAPTER  IV 

MR.    DAMON    WILL  GO   ALONG 

AT  FIRST  Tom  was  greatly  frightened  at  the 
sight  of  Andy's  pale  face.  He  feared  lest  the 
bully  might  be  seriously  hurt.  But  when  he  real- 
ized that  the  fall  from  the  carriage,  which  was  a 
low  one,  was  not  hard,  and  that  Andy  had  landed 
on  his  outstretched  hands  before  his  head  came 
in  contact  with  the  earth,  our  hero  was  some- 
what reassured. 

"I  wish  I  had  some  water,  with  which  to  bathe 
his  head,"  Tom  murmured,  and  he  looked  about 
in  vain  for  some.  But  it  was  not  needed,  for,  a 
moment  later,  Andy  opened  his  eyes,  and,  when  he 
saw  Tom  bending  over,  and  holding  him,  the 
bully  exclaimed: 

"Here!  You  let  me  go!  Don't  you  hit  me 
again,  Tom  Swift,  or  I'll  punch  you!" 

"I  didn't  hit  you,"  declared  Tom,  while  Andy 
tore  himself  away,  and  struggled  to  his  feet. 

"Yes,  you  did,  too,  hit  me!" 

"I  did  not !  You  tried  to  strike  me  with  your 
32 


MR.  DAMON  WILL  GO  ALONG  33 

whip,  as  I  was  shoving  your  carriage  out  of  the 
way,  which  I  had  a  perfect  right  to  do,  as  you 
were  blockading  the  highway.  You  lost  your 
balance  and  fell.  It  was  your  own  fault." 

"Well,   you'll  suffer  for  it,  just  the  same, 
snarled  Andy,  and  then,  putting  his  hand  to  his 
head,  and  bringing  it  away,  with  some  drops  of 
blood  on  it,  he  cried  out : 

"Oh,  I'm  hurt !  I'm  injured !  Get  a  doctor,  or 
maybe  I'll  bleed  to  death !"  He  began  blubbering, 
for  Andy,  like  all  bullies,  was  a  coward. 

"You're  not  hurt,"  asserted  Tom,  trying  not 
to  laugh.  "It's  only  a  scratch.  Next  time  don't 
try  to  blockade  the  whole  street,  and  you  won't 
get  into  trouble.  Are  you  able  to  drive  home; 
or  shall  I  take  you  in  my  car  ?" 

"I  wouldn't  ride  in  your  car!"  snapped  the 
ugly  lad.  "You  go  on,  and  mind  your  business 
now,  and  I'll  pay  you  back  for  this,  some  day.  I 
could  have  you  arrested !" 

"And  so  could  I  have  you  locked  up  for  ob- 
structing traffic.  But  I'll  not.  Your  rig  isn't 
damaged,  and  you'd  better  drive  home." 

The  old  white  horse  had  not  moved,  and  was 
evidently  glad  of  the  rest.  A  glance  satisfied  Tom 
that  the  carriage  had  not  been  damaged,  and,  get- 
ting into  his  car,  while  Andy  was  brushing  the 
dust  from  his  clothes,  our  hero  started  the  motor. 


34       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

There  was  now  room  enough  to  pass  around 
the  obstructing  carriage,  and  soon  Tom  was  hum- 
ming down  the  road,  leaving  a  much  discomfited 
bully  behind  him. 

"Tom  Swift  is  too  smart — thinking  he  can 
run  everybody,  and  everything,  to  suit  himself," 
growled  Andy,  as  he  finished  dusting  off  h's 
clothes,  and  wiping  the  blood  from  his  face.  As 
Tom  had  said,  the  wound  was  but  a  scratch, 
though  the  bully's  head  ached,  and  he  felt  a  little 
dizzy.  "I  wish  I'd  hit  him  with  the  horsewhip," 
he  went  on,  vindictively.  "I'll  get  square  with 
him  some  day." 

Andy  had  said  this  many  times,  but  he  had 
never  yet  succeeded  in  permanently  getting  the 
best  of  Tom.  Pondering  on  some  scheme  of  re- 
venge the  rich  lad — for  Mr.  Foger,  his  father, 
was  quite  wealthy — drove  on. 

Meanwhile  Tom,  rather  wishing  the  little  en- 
counter had  not  taken  place,  but  refusing  to  blame 
himself  for  what  had  occurred,  was  speeding  to- 
ward home. 

"Let's  see,"  he  murmured,  as  he  drove  along  in 
his  powerful  car.  "I've  got  quite  a  lot  to  do  if 
I  make  an  early  start  for  Philadelphia,  in  my 
airship,  to-morrow.  I  want  to  tighten  the  pro- 
peller on  the  shaft  a  trifle,  and  give  the  engine  a 
good  try-out.  Then,  too,  I  think  I'd  better  make 


MR.  DAMON  WILL  GO  ALONG  35 

the  landing  springs  a  little  stiffer.  The  last 
time  I  made  a  descent  the  frame  was  pretty  well 
jarred  up.  Yes,  if  I  make  that  air  trip  to-morrow 
I'll  have  to  do  some  tall  hustling  when  I  get 
home." 

The  electric  runabout  swung  into  the  yard  of 
the  Swift  house,  and  Tom  brought  it  to  a  stop 
opposite  the  side  door.  He  looked  about  for  a 
sight  of  his  father,  Mrs.  Baggert  or  Garret  Jack- 
son. The  only  person  visible  was  Eradicate 
Sampson,  working  in  the  garden. 

"Hello,  Rad,"  called  Tom.    "Anybody  home?" 

"Yais,  Massa  Tom,"  answered  the  colored 
man.  "Yo*  dad  an'  anodder  gen'mans  hab  jest 
ffone  in  de  house." 

"Who's  the  other  gentleman,  Rad?"  asked 
Tom,  and  the  negro,  glad  of  an  excuse  to  cease 
the  weeding  of  the  onion  bed,  came  shuffling  for- 
ward. 

"It's  de  gen'mans  what  is  allers  saying  his 
prayers,"  he  answered. 

"Saying  his  prayers?"  repeated  Tom. 

"Yep.  Yo'  knows  what  I  means,  Massa  Tom 
He's  allers  askin'  a  blessin'  on  his  shoes,  or  his 
rubbers,  or  his  necktie." 

"Oh,  you  mean  Mr.  Wakefield  Damon." 

"Yais,  sah,  dat's  who  I  done  means.  Mr. 
IVakefull  Lemon — dat's  sho'  him." 


36       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

At  that  moment  there  sounded,  within  the 
house,  the  voices  of  Mr.  Swift,  and  some  one  else 
in  conversation. 

"And  so  Tom  has  decided  to  make  a  run  to  the 
Quaker  City  in  the  Butterfly,  to-morrow,"  Mr. 
Swift  was  saying,  "and  he's  going1  to  see  if  he 
can  be  of  any  service  to  this  Mr.  Fenwick." 

"Bless  my  watch  chain!"  exclaimed  the  other 
voice.  "You  don't  say  so!  Why  I  know  Mr. 
Fenwick  very  well — he  and  I  used  to  go  to  school 
together,  but  bless  my  multiplication  tables — I 
never  thought  he'd  amount  to  anything!  And 
so  he's  built  an  airship ;  and  Tom  is  going  to  help 
him  with  it?  Why,  bless  my  collar  button,  I've 
a  good  notion  to  go  along  and  see  what  happens. 
Bless  my  very  existence,  but  I  think  I  will !" 

"That's  Mr.  Damon  all  right,"  observed  Tom, 
with  a  smile,  as  he  advanced  toward  the  dining- 
room,  whence  the  voices  proceeded. 

"Dat's  what  I  done  tole  you !"  said  Eradicate, 
and,  with  slow  and  lagging  steps  he  went  back  to 
weed  the  onion  bed. 

"How  are  you,  Mr.  Damon,"  called  our  hero, 
as  he  mounted  the  steps  of  the  porch. 

"Why,  it's  Tom — he's  back!"  exclaimed  the  ec- 
centric man.  Why,  bless  my  shoe  laces,  Tom! 
how  are  you?  I'm  real  glad  to  see  you.  Bless 
my  eyeglasses,  but  I  am!  I  just  returned  from 


MR.  DAMON  WILL  GO  ALONG  37 

a  little  western  trip,  and  I  thought  I'd  run  over 
and  see  how  you  are.  I  came  in  my  car — had 
two  blowouts  on  the  way,  too.  Bless  my  spark 
plug,  but  the  kind  of  tires  one  gets  now-a- 
days  are  a  disgrace!  However,  I'm  here,  and 
your  father  has  just  told  me  about  you  going  to 
Philadelphia  in  your  monoplane,  to  help  a  fellow- 
inventor  with  his  airship.  It's  real  kind  of  you. 
Bless  my  topknot  if  it  isn't !  Do  you  know  what 
I  was  just  saying?" 

"I  heard  you  mention  that  you  knew  Mr.  Fen- 
wick,"  replied  Tom,  with  a  smile,  as  he  shook 
hands  with  Mr.  Damon, 

"So  I  do,  and,  what's  more,  I'd  like  to  see  his 
airship.  Will  your  Butterfly  carry  two  passen- 
gers?" 

"Easily,  Mr.  Damon." 

"Then  I'll  tell  you  what  I'm  going  to  do.  If 
you'll  let  me  I'll  take  that  run  to  Philadelphia 
with  you !" 

"Glad  to  have  you  come  along,"  responded 
Tom,  heartily. 

"Then  I'll  go,  and,  what's  more,  if  Fenwick's 
ship  will  rise,  I'll  go  Math  you  in  that — bless  my 
deflection  rudder  if  I  don't,  Tom!"  and  puffing 
up  his  cheeks,  as  he  exploded  these  words,  Mr. 
Damon  fairly  raised  himself  on  his  tiptoes,  and 
shook  Tom's  hand  again. 


CHAPTER  V 

VOL-PLANING   TO   EARTH 

FOR  a  moment  after  Mr.  Damon's  announce- 
ment Tom  did  not  reply.  Mr.  Swift,  too,  seemed 
a  little  at  a  loss  for  something  to  say.  They  did 
not  quite  know  how  to  take  their  eccentric  friend 
at  times. 

"Of  course  I'll  be  glad  of  your  company,  Mr. 
Damon,"  said  Tom;  "but  you  rmist  remember 
that  my  Butterfly  is  not  like  the  Red  Cloud. 
There  is  more  danger  riding  in  the  monoplane 
than  there  is  in  the  airship.  In  the  latter,  if  the 
engine  happens  to  stop,  the  sustaining  gas  will 
prevent  us  from  falling.  But  it  isn't  so  in  an 
aeroplane.  When  your  engine  stops  there " 

"Well,  what  happens  ?"  asked  Mr.  Damon,  im- 
patiently, for  Tom  hesitated. 

"You  have  to  vol-plane  back  to  earth." 

"Vol-plane?"  and  there  was  a  questioning  note 
in  Mr.  Damon's  voice. 

"'Yes,  glide  down  from  whatever  height  you 


VOL-PLANING  TO  EARTH  39 

are  at  when  the  engine  stalls.  Come  down  in  a 
series  of  dips  from  the  tipper  currents.  Vol-plan- 
ing,  the  French  call  it,  and  I  guess  it's  as  good 
a  word  as  any." 

"Have  you  ever  done  it?"  asked  the  odd  char- 
acter. 

"Oh,  yes,  several  times." 

"Then,  bless  my  fur  overcoat !  I  can  do  it,  too, 
Tom.  When  will  you  be  ready  to  start?" 

"To-morrow  morning.  Now  you  are  sure  you 
won't  get  nervous  and  want  to  jump,  if  the  en- 
gine happens  to  break  down?*' 

"Not  a  bit  of  k.  I'U  vol-plane  whenever  you 
are  ready,"  and  Mr.  Damon  laughed. 

"Well,  we'll  hope  we  won't  have  to,"  went  on 
Tom.  "And  I'll  be  very  glad  of  your  company. 
Mr.  Fenwick  will,  no  doubt,  be  pleased  to  see  you. 
I've  never  met  him,  and  it  will  be  nice  to  have 
some  one  to  introduce  me.  Suppose  you  come 
out  and  see  what  sort  of  a  craft  you  are  doomed 
to  travel  in  to-morrow,  Mr.  Damon.  I  believe 
you  never  saw  my  new  monoplane." 

"That's  right,  I  haven't,  but  I'd  be  glad  to. 
I  declare,  I'm  getting  to  be  quite  an  aviator,"  and 
Mr.  Damon  chuckled.  A  little  later,  Tom,  having 
informed  his  father  of  the  sending  of  the  message, 
took  his  eccentric  friend  out  to  the  shop,  and  ex- 
hibited the  Butterfly. 


4o       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS-  MESSAGE 

As  many  of  you  have  seen  the  ordinary  mono- 
plane, either  on  exhibition  or  in  flight,  I  will  not 
take  much  space  to  describe  Tom's.  Sufficient 
to  say  it  was  modeled  after  the  one  in  which 
Bleriot  made  his  first  flight  across  the  English 
channel. 

The  body  was  not  unlike  that  of  a  butterfly 
or  dragon  fly,  long  and  slender,  consisting  of  a 
rectangular  frame  with  canvas  stretched  over  it, 
and  a  seat  for  two  just  aft  of  the  engine  and 
controlling  levers.  Back  of  the  seat  stretched  out 
a  long  framework,  and  at  the  end  was  a  curved 
plane,  set  at  right  angles  to  it.  The  ends  of  the 
plane  terminated  in  flexible  wings,  to  permit  of 
their  being  bent  up  or  down,  so  as  to  preserve  the 
horizontal  equilibrium  of  the  craft. 

At  the  extreme  end  was  the  vertical  rudder, 
which  sent  the  monoplane  to  left  or  right. 

Forward,  almost  exactly  like  the  front  set  of 
wings  of  the  dragon  fly,  was  the  large,  main 
plane,  with  the  concave  turn  toward  the  ground. 
There  was  the  usual  propeller  in  front,  operated 
by  a  four  cylinder  motor,  the  cylinders  being  air 
cooled,  and  set  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel  around 
the  motor  box.  The  big  gasolene  tank,  and  other 
mechanism  was  in  front  of  the  right-hand  ope- 
rator's seat,  where  Tom  always  rode.  He  had 
seldom  taken  a  passenger  up  with  him,  though  the 


VOL-PLAXING  TO  EARTH  41 

machine  would  easily  carry  two,  and  he  was  a 
little  nervous  about  the  outcome  of  the  trip  with 
Mr.  Damon. 

"How  do  you  like  the  looks  of  it?"  asked  the 
young"  inventor,  as  he  wheeled  the  Butterfiy  out 
of  the  shed,  and  began  pumping  up  the  tires  of 
the  bicycle  wheels  on  which  it  ran  over  the 
ground,  to  get  impetus  enough  with  which  to 
rise. 

"It  looks  a  little  frail,  compared  to  the  big  R$d 
Cloud,  Tom,"  answered  the  eccentric  man,  "but 
I'm  going  up  in  her  just  the  same ;  bless  my  but- 
tons if  I'm  not." 

Tom  could  not  but  admire  the  grit  of  his 
friend. 

The  rest  of  the  day  was  busily  spent  making 
various  adjustments  to  the  monoplane,  putting  on 
new  wire  stays,  changing  the  rudder  cables,  and 
tuning  up  the  motor.  The  propeller  was  tight- 
ened on  the  shaft,  and  toward  evening  Tom  an- 
nounced that  all  was  in  readiness  for  a  trial 
flight. 

"Want  to  come,  Mr.  Damon?"  he  asked. 

"I'll  wait,  and  see  how  it  acts  with  you  aboard/' 
was  the  answer.  "Not  that  I'm  afraid,  for  I'm 
going  to  make  the  trip  in  the  morning,  but  per- 
haps it  won't  work  just  right  now." 

"Oh.  I  guess  it  will,"  ventured  Tom,  and  in 


42       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

order  to  be  able  to  know  just  how  his  Butterfly 
was  going  to  behave,  with  a  passenger  of  Mr. 
Damon's  weight,  the  young  inventor  placed  a  bag 
of  sand  on  the  extra  seat. 

The  monoplane  was  then  wheeled  to  the  end 
of  the  starting  ground.  Tom  took  his  place  in 
the  seat,  and  Mr.  Jackson  started  the  propeller. 
At  first  the  engine  failed  to  respond,  but  suddenly 
with  a  burst  of  smoke,  and  a  spluttering  of  fire 
the  cylinders  began  exploding.  The  hat  of  Mr. 
Damon,  who  was  standing  back  of  the  machine., 
was  blown  off  by  the  wind  created  by  the  propeller. 

"Bless  my  gaiters !"  he  exclaimed,  "I  never 
thought  it  was  as  strong  as  that !" 

"Let  go !"  cried  Tom  to  Mr.  Jackson  and  Erad- 
icate, who  were  holding  back  the  monoplane  from 
gliding  over  the  ground. 

"All  right,"  answered  the  engineer. 

An  instant  later  the  explosions  almost  doubled, 
for  Tom  turned  on  more  gasolene.  Then,  like 
some  live  thing,  the  Butterfly  rushed  across  the 
starting  ground.  Faster  and  faster  it  went,  until 
the  young  inventor,  knowing  that  he  had  motion 
enough,  tilted  his  planes  to  catch  the  wind. 

Up  he  went  from  earth,  like  some  graceful  bird, 
higher  and  higher,  and  then,  in  a  big  spiral,  he 
began  ascending  until  he  was  five  hundred  feet 
in  the  air.  Up  there  he  traveled  back  and  forth, 


VOL-PLANING  TO  EARTH  43 

in  circles,  and  in  figure  eights,  desiring  to  test 
the  machine  in  various  capacities. 

Suddenly  the  engine  stopped,  and  to  those  be- 
•low,  anxiously  watching,  the  silence  became  al- 
most oppressive,  for  Tom  had  somewhat  de- 
scended, and  the  explosions  had  been  plainly 
heard  by  those  observing  him.  But  now  they 
ceased! 

"His  engine's  stalled!"  cried  Garret  Jackson. 

Mr.  Swift  heard  the  words,  and  looked  anx- 
iously up  at  his  son. 

"\s  be  in  any  danger?"  gasped  Mr.  Damon. 

No  one  answered  him.  Like  some  great  bird, 
disabled  in  mid  flight,  the  monoplane  swooped 
downward.  A  moment  later  a  hearty  shout  from 
Tom  reassured  them. 

''He  shut  off  the  engine  on  purpose,"  said 
Mr.  Jackson.  "He  is  vol-planing  back  to  earth !" 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  BuMerfty.  It 
would  shoot  downward,  and  then,  as  Tom  tilted 
the  planes,  would  rise  a  bit,  losing  some  of  the 
great  momentum.  In  a  series  of  maneuvers  like 
this,  the  young  inventor  reached  the  earth,  not 
far  from  where  his  father  and  the  others  stood. 
Down  came  the  Butterfly,  the  springs  of  the 
wheel  frame  taking  the  shock  wonderfully  well. 

"She's  all  right — regular  bird !"  cried  Tom,  in 
enthusiasm,  when  the  machine  had  come  to  a 


44 


TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 


stop  after  rolling  over  the  ground,  and  he  had 
leaped  out.  "We'll  make  a  good  flight  to-mor- 
row, Mr.  Damon,  if  the  weather  holds  out  this 
way." 

"Good !"  cried  the  eccentric  man.  "I  shall  b« 
delighted." 

"They  made  the  start  early  the  next  morning, 
there  being  hardly  a  breath  of  wind.  There  was 
not  a  trace  of  nervousness  noticeable  about  Mr. 
Damon,  as  he  took  his  place  in  the  seat  beside 
Tom.  The  lad  had  gone  carefully  over  die  entire 
apparatus,  and  had  seen  to  it  that,  as  far  as  he 
could  tell,  it  was  in  perfect  running  order. 

"When  will  you  be  back,  Tom?"  asked  his 
father. 

"To-night,  perhaps,  or  to-morrow  morning.  I 
don't  know  just  what  Mr.  Fenwick  wants  me  to 
do.  But  if  it  is  anything  that  requires  a  long 
stay,  I'll  come  back,  and  let  you  know,  and  then 
run  down  to  Philadelphia  again.  I  may  need 
some  of  my  special  tools  to  work  with.  I'll  be 
back  to-night  perhaps." 

"Shall  I  keep  supper  for  you?"  asked  Mrs 
Baggert,  the  housekeeper. 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Tom,  with  a  laugh. 
"Perhaps  I'll  drop  down  at  Miss  Nestor's,  and 
have  some  apple  turnovers,"  for  he  had  told  them 


VOL-PLANING  TO  EARTH  45 

of  the  incident  of  hiring  the  new  cook.  "Well," 
he  went  on  to  Mr.  Damon,  "are  you  all  ready?" 

"As  ready  as  I  ever  shall  be.  Do  you  think 
we'll  have  to  do  any  vol-planing,  Tom?" 

"Hard  to  say,  but  it's  not  dangerous  when 
there's  no  wind.  All  right,  Garret.  Start  her 
off." 

The  engineer  whirled  the  big  wooden,  built- 
up  propeller,  and  with  a  rattle  and  roar  of  the 
motor,  effectually  drowning  any  but  the  loudest 
shouts,  the  Butterfly  was  ready  for  her  flight 
Tom  let  the  engine  warm  up  a  bit  before  calling 
to  his  friends  to  let  go,  and  then,  when  he  had 
ihrown  the  gasolene  lever  forward,  he  shouted  a 
good-by  and  cried : 

"All  right!    Let  go!" 

Forward,  like  a  hound  from  the  leash,  sprang 
the  little  monoplane.  It  ran  perhaps  for  five  hun- 
dred feet,  and  then,  with  a  tilting  of  the  wings, 
to  set  the  air  currents  against  them,  it  sprang 
into  the  air. 

"We're  off!"  cried  Mr.  Damon,  waving  his 
hand  to  those  on  the  ground  below. 

"Yes,  we're  off,"  murmured  Tom.  "N^w  for 
the  Quaker  City!" 

He  had  mapped  out  a  route  for  himself  the 
night  before,  and  now,  picking  out  the  land- 


46       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

marks,  he  laid  as  straight  a  course  as  possible 
for  Philadelphia. 

The  sensation  of  flying  along,  two  thousand 
feet  high,  in  a  machine  almost  as  frail  as  a  canoe, 
was  not  new  to  Tom.  It  was,  in  a  degree,  to 
Mr.  Damon,  for,  though  the  latter  had  made 
frequent  trips  in  the  large  airship,  this  mode  of 
locomotion,  as  if  he  was  on  the  back  of  some 
bird,  was  much  different.  Still,  after  the  first 
surprise,  he  got  used  to  it. 

"Bless  my  finger  ring!"  he  exclaimed,  "I  like 
it!" 

"I  thought  you  would,"  said  Tom,  in  a  shout, 
and  he  adjusted  the  oil  feed  to  send  more  lubri- 
cant into  the  cylinders. 

The  earth  stretched  out  below  them,  like  some 
vari-colored  relief  map,  but  they  could  not  stop 
to  admire  any  particular  spot  long,  for  they  were 
flying  fast,  and  were  beyond  a  scene  almost  as 
quickly  as  they  had  a  glimpse  of  it. 

"How  long  will  it  take  us  ?"  yelled  Mr.  Damon 
into  Tom's  ear. 

"I  hope  to  do  it  in  three  hours,"  shouted  back 
the  young  inventor. 

"What!  Why  it  takes  the  train  over  five 
hours." 

"Yes,  I  know,  but  we're  going  direct,  and  it's 
only  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  That's 


VOL-PLANING  TO  EARTH  47 

only  about  eighty  an  hour.  We're  doing  seventy- 
five  now,  and  I  haven't  let  her  out  yet." 

"She  goes  faster  than  the  Red  Cloud,"  cried 
Mr.  Damon. 

Tom  nodded.  It  was  hard  work  to  talk  in  that 
rush  of  air.  For  an  hour  they  shot  along,  their 
speed  gradually  increasing.  Tom  called  out  the 
names  of  the  larger  places  they  passed  over.  He 
was  now  doing  better  than  eighty  an  hour  as  the 
gage  showed.  The  trip  was  a  glorious  one,  and 
the  eyes  of  the  young  inventor  and  his  friend 
sparkled  in  delight  as  they  rushed  forward.  Two 
hours  passed. 

"Going  to  make  it?"  fairly  howled  Mr.  Da- 
mon. 

Tom  nodded  again. 

"Be  there  in  time  for  dinner,"  he  announced 
in  a  shout 

It  lacked  forty  minutes  of  the  three  hours 
when  Tom,  pointing  with  one  hand  down  below, 
while  with  the  other  he  gripped  the  lever  of  the 
rudder,  called: 

"North  Philadelphia!" 

"So  soon?"  gasped  Mr.  Damon.  "Well,  we 
certainly  made  speed!  Where  are  you  going  to 
land?" 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  the  young  inventor. 
"I'll  have  to  pick  out  the  best  place  I  see.  It's 


48       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

no  fun  landing  in  a  city.  No  room  to  run  along, 
after  you're  down." 

"What's  the  matter  with  Franklin  Field?"  cried 
•Mr.  Damon.  "Out  where  they  play  football" 

"Good!    The  very  thing!"  shouted  Tom. 

"Mr.  Fenwick  lives  near  there/'  went  on  Mr. 
Damon,  and  Tom  nodded  comprehendingly. 

They  were  now  over  North  Philadelphia,  and, 
in  a  few  minutes  more  wrere  above  the  Quaker 
City  itself.  They  were  flying  rather  low,  and 
as  the  people  in  the  streets  became  aware  of  their 
presence  there  was  intense  excitement  Tom 
steered  for  the  big  athletic  field,  and  soon  saw 
it  in  the  distance. 

With  a  suddenness  that  was  startling  the 
motor  ceased  its  terrific  racket  The  monoplane 
gave  a  sickening  dip,  and  Tom  had  to  adjust  the 
wing  tips  and  rudder  quickly  to  prevent  it  slew- 
ing around  at  a  dangerous  angle. 

"What's  the  matter?"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  "Did 
you  shut  it  off  on  purpose?" 

"No!"  shouted  Tom.  "Something's  gone 
wrong !" 

"Gone  wrong !  Bless  my  overshoes !  Is  there 
any  danger?" 

"We'll  have  to  vol-plane  to  earth,"  answered 
Tom,  and  there  was  a  grim  look  on  his  face. 
He  had  never  executed  this  feat  with  a  passenge* 


VOL-PLANIN-G  TO  EARTH  49 

aboard.  He  was  wondering  how  the  Butterfly 
would  behave.  But  he  would  know  very  soon, 
for  already  the  tiny  monoplane  was  shooting 
rapidly  toward  the  big  field,  which  was  now 
swarming  with  a  curious  crowd 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE   NEW   AIRSHIP 

FOR  a  brief  instant  after  the  stopping  of  the 
motor,  and  the  consequent  sudden  dropping  to- 
ward the  earth  of  the  monoplane,  Tom  glanced 
at  Mr.  Damon.  The  latter's  face  was  rather 
pale,  but  he  seemed  calm  and  collected.  His  lips 
moved  slightly,  and  Tom,  even  in  those  tense 
moments,  wondered  if  the  odd  gentleman  was 
blessing  anything  in  particular,  or  everything  in 
general. 

Tom  threw  up  the  tilting  plane,  to  catch  more 
air  beneath  it,  and  bring  the  Butterfly  in  a  more 
parallel  position  to  the  earth.  This,  in  a  manner, 
checked  the  downward  flight,  and  they  glided 
along  horizontally  for  a  hundred  feet  or  more. 

"Is — is  there  any  great  danger,  Tom?"  asked 
Mr.  Damon. 

"I  think  not,"  answered  the  young  inventor, 
confidently.  "I  have  done  this  same  thing  before, 
and  from  greater  heights.  The  only  thing  thai 
50 


THE   NEW   AIRSHIP  51 

bothers  me  is  that  there  are  several  cross-currents 
of  air  up  here,  which  make  it  difficult  to  manage 
the  planes  and  wing  tips.  But  I  think  we'll  make 
a  good  landing." 

"Bless  my  overcoat!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon. 
"I  certainly  hope  so." 

Conversation  was  more  easily  carried  on  now, 
as  the  motor  was  not  spitting  fire  and  throbbing 
like  a  battery  of  Catling  guns.  Tom  thought 
perhaps  it  might  start  on  the  spark,  as  the  pro- 
peller was  slowly  swinging  from  the  force  of  air 
against  it.  He  tried,  but  there  was  no  explosion. 
He  had  scarcely  hoped  for  it,  as  he  realized  that 
some  part  of  the  mechanism  must  have  broken. 

Down  they  glided,  coming  nearer  and  nearer 
to  the  earth.  The  crowd  in  the  big  athletic  field 
grew  larger.  Shouts  of  wonder  and  fear  could 
be  heard,  and  people  could  be  seen  running  ex- 
citedly about.  To  Tom  and  Mr.  Damon  they 
looked  like  dolls. 

Reaching  the  limit  of  the  parallel  glide  the 
monoplane  once  more  shot  down  on  an  incline 
toward  the  earth  with  terrible  speed.  The  ground 
seemed  to  rush  up  to  meet  Mr.  Damon. 

"Look  out!"  he  cried  to  Tom.  "We're  going 
to  hit  something !" 

"Not  yet,"  was  the  calm  answer  "I'm  going 
to  try  a  new  stunt.  Hold  fast !" 


52       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?" 

"Some  spirals.  I  think  that  will  let  us  down 
easier,  but  the  craft  is  likely  to  tilt  a  bit,  so  hold 
on." 

The  young  inventor  shifted  the  movable  planes 
and  rudder,  and,  a  moment  later,  the  Butterfly 
swung  violently  around,  like  a  polo  pony  taking 
a  sudden  turn  after  the  ball.  Mr.  Damon  slid 
to  one  side  of  his  seat,  and  made  a  frantic  grab 
for  one  of  the  upright  supports. 

"I  made  too  short  a  turn !"  cried  Tom,  easing 
off  the  craft,  which  righted  itself  in  an  instant. 
"The  air  currents  fooled  me." 

Under  his  skillful  guidance,  the  monoplane  was 
soon  slowly  approaching  the  earth  in  a  series  of 
graceful  curves.  It  was  under  perfect  control, 
and  a  smile  of  relief  came  on  the  face  of  the 
young  inventor.  Seeing  it  Mr.  Damon  took 
courage,  and  his  hands,  which  had  grasped  the 
uprights  with  such  firmness  that  his  knuckles 
showed  white  with  the  strain,  were  now  removed. 
He  sat  easily  in  his  seat. 

"We're  all  right  now,"  declared  Tom.  "I'll 
take  a  couple  of  forward  glides  now,  and  we'll 
land." 

He  sent  the  machine  straight  ahead.  It  gath- 
ered speed  in  an  instant.  Then,  with  an  upward 
tilt  it  was  slackened,  almost  as  if  brakes  had  been 


THE   NEW   AIRSHIP  53 

applied.  Once  more  it  shot  toward  the  earth,  and 
once  more  it  was  checked  by  an  tip-tilted  plane- 
Then  with  a  thud  which  shook  up  the  occu- 
pants of  the  two  seats,  the  Butterfly  came  to  the 
ground,  and  ran  along  on  the  three  bicycle 
wheels.  Swiftly  it  slid  over  the  level  ground. 
A  more  ideal  landing  place  would  have  been  hard 
to  find.  Scores  of  willing  hands  reached  out, 
and  checked  the  momentum  of  the  little  mono- 
plane, and  Tom  and  Mr.  Damon  climbed  from 
their  seats. 

The  crowd  set  up  a  cheer,  and  hundreds  pressed 
around  the  aviators.    Several  sought  to  reach,  and 
touch  the  machine,  for  they  had  probably  never 
been  so  close  to  one  before,  though  airship  flights 
are  getting  more  and  more  common. 
"Where  did  you  come  from?5* 
"Are  you  trying  for  a  record  ?" 
"How  high  did  you  get?" 
"Did  you  fall,  or  come  down  on  purpose?" 
"Can't  you  start  your  motor  in  mid-air?" 
These,    and   scores   of   other   questions   were 
fairly  volleyed  at  Tom  and  Mr.  Damon.     The 
young  inventor  good-naturedly  answered  them 
as  best  he  could. 

"We  were  coming  down  anyhow,"  he  ex- 
plained, "but  we  did  not  calculate  on  vol-plan- 
ing.  The  motor  was  stalled,  and  I  had  to  glide. 


54       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Please  keep  away  from  the  machine.  You  might 
damage  it." 

The  arrival  of  several  policemen,  who  were 
attracted  by  the  crowd,  served  to  keep  the  curi- 
ous ones  back  away  from  the  Butterfly,  or  the 
men,  boys  and  women  (for  there  were  a  numbet 
of  the  latter  in  the  throng)  might  have  caused 
serious  trouble. 

Tom  made  a  hasty  examination  of  the  motor, 
and,  having  satisfied  himself  that  only  a  minor 
difficulty  had  caused  it  to  stop,  he  decided  to  put 
the  monoplane  in  some  safe  place,  and  proceed 
to  Mr.  Fen  wick's  house. 

The  lad  was  just  asking  one  of  the  officers 
if  the  air  craft  could  not  be  put  in  one  of  the 
grandstands  which  surrounded  the  fieljd,  when  a 
voice  on  the  outskirts  of  the  crowd  excitedly 
exclaimed : 

"Let  me  pass,  please.  I  want  to  see  that  air- 
ship. I'm  building  one  myself,  and  I  need  all 
the  experience  I  can  get.  Let  me  in,  please." 

A  man  pushed  his  way  into  the  crowd,  and 
wormed  his  way  to  where  Tom  and  Mr.  Damon 
stood.  At  the  sight  of  him,  the  eccentric  indi- 
vidual cried  out: 

"Why  bless  my  pocket-knife!  If  it  isn't  Mr. 
Fenwick!" 

"Mr.  Fenwick?"  gasped  Tom. 


THE  NEW  AIRSHIP  55 

"Yes.    The  inventor  we  came  to  see !" 

At  the  same  moment  the  newcomer  cried  out: 

"Wakefield  Damon!" 

"That's  who  I  am,"  answered  Tom's  friend, 
'and  let  me  introduce  you  to  Mr.  Swift,  the  in- 
ventor of  more  machines  than  I  can  count.  He 
and  I  were  coming  to  see  you,  when  we  had  a 
slight  accident,  and  we  landed  here.  But  that 
didn't  matter,  for  we  intended  to  land  here  any- 
how, as  I  knew  it  was  near  your  house.  Only 
we  had  to  vol-plane  back  to  earth,  and  I  can't 
say  that  I'd  care  for  that,  as  a  steady  diet.  Bless 
my  radiator,  but  I'm  glad  we've  arrived  safely." 

"Did  you  come  all  the  way  from  your  home  in 
that?"  asked  Mr.  Fenwick  of  Tom,  as  he  shook 
hands  with  him,  and  nodded  at  the  monoplane. 

"Oh,  yes.     It's  not  much  of  a  trip." 

"Well,  I  hope  my  airship  will  do  as  well.  But 
something  seems  to  be  wrong  with  it,  and  I  have 
hopes  that  you  can  help  me  discover  what  it  is. 
I  know  your  father,  and  I  have  heard  much  of 
your  ability.  That  is  why  I  requested  your  aid." 

"I'm  afraid  I've  been  much  overrated,"  spoke 
Tom,  modestly,  "but  I'll  do  all  I  can  for  you.  1 
must  now  leave  my  monoplane  in  a  safe  place, 
however." 

"I'll  attend  to  that,"  Mr.  Fenwick  hastened  to 
assure  him.  "Leave  it  to  me." 


56       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

By  this  time  a  lieutenant  of  police,  in  charge 
of  several  reserve  officers,  had  arrived  on  the 
scene,  for  the  crowd  was  now  very  large,  and,  as 
Mr.  Fenwick  knew  this  official,  he  requested  that 
Tom's  machine  be  protected  from  damage.  It 
was  arranged  that  it  could  be  stored  in  a  large, 
empty  shed,  and  a  policeman  would  be  left  on 
guard.  Then,  seeing  that  it  was  all  right,  Tom, 
Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Fenwick  started  for  the 
latter's  house. 

"I  am  very  anxious  to  show  you  the  Whizzer," 
said  Mr.  Fenwick,  as  they  walked  along. 

"The  Whizscr?"  repeated  Tom,  wonderingly. 

"Yes,  that's  what  I  call  my  electric  airship.  It 
hasn't  'whizzed'  any  to  speak  of  yet,  but  I  have 
hopes  that  it  will,  now  that  you  are  here  to  help 
me.  We  will  take  one  of  these  taxicabs,  and  soon 
be  at  my  house.  I  was  out  for  a  stroll,  when  I 
saw  your  monoplane  coming  down,  and  I  has- 
tened to  Franklin  Field  to  see  it." 

The  three  entered  an  automobile,  and  were 
soon  being  driven  to  the  inventor's  home.  A 
little  later  he  led  them  out  to  a  big  shed  which 
occupied  nearly  all  of  a  large  lot,  in  back  of  Mr. 
Fenwick's  house. 

"Does  it  take  up  all  that  room?"  asked  Tom. 

"Oh,  yes,  the  Whizser  is  pretty  good  size. 
There  she  is!"  cried  Mr.  Fenwick  proudly,  as 


THE   NEW   AIRSHIP  57 

he  threw  open  the  doors  of  the  shed,  and  Tom 
and  Mr.  Damon,  looking  in,  saw  a  large  triplane, 
with  a  good-sized  gas  bag  hovering  over  it,  and 
a  strange  collection  of  rudders,  wings  and  planes 
sticking  out  from  either  side.  Amidships  was 
an  enclosed  car,  or  cabin,  and  a  glimpse  into  it 
served  to  disclose  to  the  young  inventor  a  mass 
of  machinery. 

"There  she  is!  That's  the  Whizzer!"  cried 
Mr.  Fenwick,  with  pride  in  his  voice.  "What  do 
you  think  of  her,  Tom  Swift?" 

Tom  did  not  immediately  answer.  He  looked 
dubiously  at  the  electric  airship  and  shrugged 
his  shoulders.  It  seemed  to  him,  at  first  glance, 
that  it  would  never  sail. 


CHAPTER  VII 

MAKING    SOME    CHANGES 

"WELL,  what  do  you  think  of  it?"  asked  Mr. 
Fenwick  again,  as  Tom  walked  all  about  thq 
electric  airship,  still  without  speaking. 

"It's  big,  certainly,"  remarked  the  lad. 

"Bless  my  shoe  horn!  I  should  say  it  was!H 
burst  out  Mr.  Damon.  "It's  larger  than  your 
Red  Cloud,  Tom." 

"But  will  it  go  ?  That's  what  I  want  to  know," 
insisted  the  inventor.  "Do  you  think  it  will  fly, 
Tom?  I  haven't  dared  to  try  it  yet,  though  a 
small  model  which  I  made  floated  in  the  air  fof 
some  time.  But  it  wouldn't  move,  except  as  the 
wind  blew  it." 

"It  would  be  hard  to  say,  without  a  careful 
examination,  whether  this  large  one  will  fly  or 
not,"  answered  Tom. 

"Then  give  it  a  careful  examination,"  sug- 
gested  Mr.    Fenwick.      "I'll  pay  you  well   for 
your  time  and  trouble." 
58 


MAKING  SOME  CHANGES  59 

"Oh,  if  I  can  help  a  fellow  inventor,  and  assist 
in  making  a  new  model  of  airship  fly,  I'm  only 
too  glad  to  do  it  without  pay,"  retorted  Tom, 
quickly.  "I  didn't  come  here  for  that.  Suppose 
we  go  in  the  cabin,  and  look  at  the  motor. 
That's  the  most  important  point,  if  your  airship 
ts  to  navigate." 

There  was  certainly  plenty  of  machinery  in  the 
cabin  of  the  Whizzer.  Most  of  it  was  electrical, 
for  on  that  power  Mr.  Fenwick  intended  to  de- 
pend to  sail  through  space.  There  was  a  new 
type  of  gasolene  engine,  small  but  very  powerful, 
and  this  served  to  operate  a  dynamo.  In  turn, 
the  dynamo  operated  an  electrical  motor,  as  Mr. 
Fenwick  had  an  idea  that  better,  and  more  uni- 
form, power  could  be  obtained  in  this  way,  than 
from  a  gasolene  motor  direct.  One  advantage 
which  Tom  noticed  at  once,  was  that  the  Whizzer 
had  a  large  electric  storage  battery. 

This  was  intended  to  operate  the  electric  motor 
in  case  of  a  break  to  the  main  machinery,  and  it 
seemed  a  good  idea.  There  were  various  other 
\pparatuses,  machines,  and  appliances,  the 
nature  of  which  Tom  could  not  readily  gather 
(rom  a  mere  casual  view. 

"Well,  what's  your  opinion,  now  that  you  have 
seen  the  motor?"  asked  Mr.  Fenwick,  anxiously. 

"I'd  have  to  see  it  in  operation,"  said  Tom. 


60       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"And  you  shall,  right  after  dinner,"  declared 
the  inventor.  "I'd  like  to  start  it  now,  and  hear 
what  you  have  to  say,  but  I'm  not  so  selfish  as 
that.  I  know  you  must  be  hungry  after  your  trip 
from  Shopton,  as  they  say  aeroplaning  gives  one 
an  appetite." 

"I  don't  know  whether  it's  that  or  not,"  an- 
swered Tom  with  a  laugh,  "but  I  am  certainly 
hungry." 

"Then  we'll  postpone  the  trial  until  after  din- 
ner. It  must  be  ready  by  this  time,  I  think,"  said 
Mr.  Fenwick,  as  he  led  the  way  back  to  the  house. 
It  was  magnificently  furnished,  for  the  inventor 
was  a  man  of  wealth,  and  only  took  up  aeroplan- 
ing as  a  "fad."  An  excellent  dinner  was  served, 
and  then  the  three  returned  once  more  to  the  shed 
where  the  Whizzer  was  kept. 

"Shall  I  start  the  motor  in  here?"  asked  Mr. 
Fenwick,  when  he  had  summoned  several  of  the 
machinists  whom  he  employed,  to  aid  himself  and 
the  young  inventor. 

"It  would  be  better  if  we  could  take  it  out- 
side," suggested  Tom,  "yet  a  crowd  is  sure  to 
gather,  and  I  don't  like  to  work  in  a  mob  of 
people." 

"Oh,  we  can  easily  get  around  that,"  said  Mr. 
Fenwick.  "I  have  two  openings  to  my  aeroplane 
shed.  We  can  take  the  Whizzer  out  of  the  rear 


MAKING  SOME  CHANGES  6l 

door,  into  a  field  enclosed  by  a  high  fence.  That 
is  where  I  made  all  my  trials,  and  the  crowd 
couldn't  get  in,  though  some  boys  did  find  knot- 
holes and  use  them.  But  I  don't  mind  that.  The 
only  thing  that  bothers  me  is  that  I  can't  make  the 
Whizzer  go  up,  and  if  it  won't  go  up,  it  cer- 
tainly won't  sail.  That's  my  difficulty,  and  I  hope 
you  can  remedy  it,  Tom  Swift." 

"I'll  do  the  best  I  can.  But  let's  get  the  air- 
ship outside." 

This  was  soon  accomplished,  and  in  the  open 
lot  Tom  made  a  thorough  and  careful  examination 
of  the  mechanism.  The  motor  was  started,  and 
the  propellers,  for  there  were  two,  whirled  around 
at  rapid  speed. 

Tom  made  some  tests  and  calculations,  at  which 
he  was  an  expert,  and  applied  the  brake  test,  to 
see  how  much  horse  power  the  motor  would  de- 
liver. 

"I  think  there  is  one  trouble  that  we  will  have 
to  get  over,"  he  finally  said  to  Mr.  Fenwick. 

"What  is  that?" 

"The  motor  is  not  quite  powerful  enough  be- 
cause of  the  way  in  which  you  have  it  geared  up. 
I  think  by  changing  some  of  the  cogs,  and  getting 
rid  of  the  off-set  shaft,  also  by  increasing  the 
number  of  revolutions,  and  perhaps  by  using  a 


62       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

new  style  of  carburetor,  we  can  get  more  speed 
and  power." 

"Then  we'll  do  it!"  cried  Mr.  Fenwicfc,  with 
enthusiasm.  "I  knew  I  hadn't  got  everything 
just  right.  Do  you  think  it  will  work  after  that?" 

"Well,"  remarked  Tom,  hesitatingly,  "I  think 
the  arrangement  of  the  planes  will  also  have  to 
be  changed.  It  will  take  quite  some  work,  but 
perhaps,  after  a  bit,  we  can  get  the  Whiszer  up  in 
the  air." 

"Can  you  begin  work  at  once?"  asked  the  in~ 
ventor,  eagerly. 

Tom  shook  his  head. 

"I  can't  stay  long  enough  on  this  trip,"  he  said. 
"I  promised  father  I  would  be  back  by  to-morrow 
at  the  latest,  but  I  will  come  over  here  again, 
and  arrange  to  stay  until  I  have  done  all  I  can. 
I  need  to  get  some  of  my  special  tools,  and  then, 
too,  you  will  require  some  other  supplies,  of  which 
I  will  give  you  a  list.  I  hope  you  don't  mind  me 
speaking  in  this  way,  Mr.  Fenwick,  as  though 
I  knew  more  about  it  than  you  do,"  added  Tom, 
modestly. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it!"  cried  the  inventor  heartily. 
"I  want  the  benefit  of  your  advice  and  experi- 
ence, and  I'll  do  just  as  you  say.  I  hope  you  can 
come  back  soon." 

"I'll  return  the  first  of  the  week,"  promised 


MAKING  SOME  CHANGES  63 

Tom,  "and  then  we'll  see  what  can  be  done.  Now 
111  go  over  the  whole  ship  once  more,  and  see 
what  I  need.  I  also  want  to  test  the  lifting1 
capacity  of  your  gas  bag." 

The  rest  of  the  day  was  a  busy  one  for  our 
hero.  With  the  aid  of  Mr.  Damon  and  the 
owner  of  the  Whizzer,  he  went  over  every  point 
carefully.  Then,  as  it  was  too  late  to  attempt  the 
return  flight  to  Shopton,  he  telegraphed  his 
father,  and  he  and  Mr.  Damon  remained  over 
night  with  Mr.  Fenwick. 

In  the  morning,  having  written  out  a  list  of 
the  things  that  would  be  needed,  Tom  went  out 
to  Franklin  Field,  and  repaired  his  own  mono- 
plane. It  was  found  that  one  of  the  electric  wires 
connected  with  the  motor  had  broken,  thus  cutting 
off  the  spark.  It  was  soon  repaired,  and,  in 
the  presence  of  a  large  crowd,  Tom  and  Mr. 
Damon  started  on  their  return  flight. 

"Do  you  think  you  can  make  the  Whizzer 
work,  Tom?"  asked  Mr.  Damon,  as  they  were 
flying  high  over  Philadelphia. 

"I'm  a  little  dubious  about  it,"  was  the  reply. 
"But  after  I  make  some  changes  I  may  have  a 
different  opinion.  The  whole  affair  is  too  big 
and  clumsy,  that's  the  trouble;  though  the  elec- 
trical part  of  it  is  very  good." 

Shopton  was  reached  without  incident,  in  about 


64       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

three  hours,  and  there  was  no  necessity,  this  time, 
of  vol-planing  back  to  earth.  After  a  short  rest, 
Tom  began  getting  together  a  number  of  special 
tools  and  appliances,  which  he  proposed  taking 
|»ck  to  Philadelphia  with  him. 

The  young  inventor  made  another  trip  to  Mr. 
Fenwick's  house  the  first  of  the  following  week. 
He  went  by  train  this  time,  as  he  had  to  ship  his 
tools,  and  Mr.  Damon  did  not  accompany  him. 
Then,  with  the  assistance  of  the  inventor  of  the 
Whizzer,  and  several  of  his  mechanics,  Tom  be- 
gan making  the  changes  on  the  airship. 

"Do  you  think  you  can  make  it  fly?"  asked  Mr. 
Fenwick,  anxiously,  after  several  days  of  labor. 

"I  hope  so/'  replied  our  hero,  and  there  was 
more  confidence  in  his  tone  than  there  had  been 
before.  As  the  work  progressed,  he  began  to 
be  more  hopeful.  "I'll  make  a  trial  flight,  any- 
how, in  a  few  days,"  he  added. 

"Then  I  must  send  word  to  Mr.  Damon,"  de- 
cided Mr.  Fenwick.  "He  wants  to  be  on  hand 
to  see  it,  and,  if  possible,  go  up;  so  he  told  me." 

"All  right,"  assented  Tom.  "I  only  hope  it 
does  go  up,"  he  concluded,  in  a  low  tone. 


CHAPTER  VIII 
ANDY  FOGER'S  REVENGE 

DURING  the  following  week,  Tom  was  kept 
busy  over  the  airship.  He  made  many  important 
changes,  and  one  of  these  was  to  use  a  new  kind 
of  gas  in  the  balloon  bag.  He  wanted  a  gas 
with  a  greater  lifting  power  than  that  of  the 
ordinary  illuminating  vapor  which  Mr.  Fenwick 
had  used. 

"Well,"  remarked  Tom,  as  he  came  from  the 
airship  shed  one  afternoon,  "I  think  we  can  give 
it  a  try-out,  Mr.  Fenwick,  in  a  few  days  more. 
I  shall  have  to  go  back  to  Shopton  to  get  some 
articles  I  need,  and  when  I  come  back  I  will  bring 
Mr.  Damon  with  me,  and  we  will  see  what  the 
Whizzer  can  do.'* 

"Do  you  mean  we  will  make  a  trial  flight?*' 

"Yes." 

"For  how  long  a  distance?" 

"It  all  depends  on  how  she  behaves,"  answered 
Tom,  with  a  smile.  "If  possible,  we'll  make  a 
long  flight." 

6c 


66       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"Then  I'll  tell  you  what  I'm  going  to  do," 
went  on  the  inventor,  "I'm  going  to  put  aboard 
a  stock  of  provisions,  and  some  other  supplies 
and  stores,  in  case  we  are  two  or  three  days  in 
the  air." 

"It  might  not  be  a  bad  plan,"  agreed  Tom, 
"though  I  hardly  think  we  will  be  gone  as  long  as 
that." 

"Well,  being  out  in  the  air  always  makes  me 
hungry,"  proceeded  Mr.  Fenwick,  "so  I'm  going 
to  take  plenty  of  food  along." 

The  time  was  to  come,  and  that  very  soon, 
when  this  decision  of  the  inventor  of  the  WMzzer 
stood  the  adventurers  in  good  stead. 

Tom  returned  to  Shopton  the  next  day,  and 
sent  word  to  have  Mr.  Damon  join  him  in  time 
to  go  back  to  the  Quaker  City  two  days  later. 

"But  why  don't  you  start  right  back  to  Phila- 
delphia to-morrow,"  asked  Mr.  Swift  of  his  son. 

"Because,"  answered  Tom,  and  that  was  all 
the  reason  he  would  give,  though  had  any  one 
seen  him  reading  a  certain  note  a  few  minutes 
before  that,  which  note  was  awaiting  him  on  his 
arrival  from  the  Quaker  City,  they  would  not 
have  wondered  at  his  decision. 

The  note  was  brief.     It  merely  said : 

"Won't  you  come,  and  have  some  apple  turn- 


ANDY  FOGER'S  REVENGE  67 

overs  ?  The  new  cook  is  a  treasure,  and  the  girls 
are  anxious  to  meet  you." 

It  was  signed :  Mary  Nestor. 

"I  think  I  could  enjoy  some  apple  turnovers," 
remarked  Tom,  with  a  smile. 

Having  gotten  ready  the  few  special  appliances 
he  wished  to  take  back  to  Philadelphia  with  him, 
Tom  went,  that  evening,  to  call  on  Miss  Nestor. 
True  to  her  promise,  the  girl  had  a  big  plate  full 
of  apple  turnovers,  which  she  gaily  offered  out' 
hero  on  his  arrival,  and,  on  his  laughing  declina- 
tion to  partake  of  so  many,  she  ushered  him  into 
a  room  full  of  pretty  girls,  saying : 

"They'll  help  you  eat  them,  Tom.  Girls,  here 
is  Mr.  Swift,  who  doesn't  mind  going  up  in  the 
air  or  under  the  ocean,  or  even  catching  run- 
away horses,"  by  which  last  she  referred  to  the 
time  Tom  saved  her  life,  and  first  made  her  ac- 
quaintance. 

As  for  the  young  inventor,  he  gave  a  gasp, 
almost  as  if  he  had  plunged  into  a  bath  of  icy 
water,  at  the  sight  of  so  many  pretty  faces  staring 
at  him.  He  said  afterward  that  he  would  rathei 
have  vol-planed  back  to  earth  from  a  seven-mile 
height,  than  again  face  such  a  battery  of  sparkling 
eyes. 

But  our  hero  soon  recovered  himself,  and  en- 
tered into  the  merriment  of  the  evening,  and, 


68       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

before  he  knew  it  he  was  telling  Miss  Nestor 
and  her  attractive  guests  something  of  his  ex- 
ploits. 

"But  I'm  talking  altogether  too  much  about 
myself,"  he  said,  finally.  "How  is  the  new  cook 
Miss  Nestor;  and  have  you  heard  from  your 
father  and  mother  since  they  sailed  on  the  Reso- 
lute for  the  West  Indies  ?" 

"As  to  the  new  cook,  she  is  a  jewel  of  the  first 
water,"  answered  Miss  Nestor.  "We  all  like 
her,  and  she  is  anxious  for  another  ride  in  a 
taxicab,  as  she  calls  your  auto." 

"She  shall  have  it,"  declared  Tom,  "for  those 
^re  the  best  apple  turnovers  I  ever  ate." 

"I'll  tell  her  so,"  declared  Mary.  "She'll  ap- 
preciate it — coming  from  an  inventor  of  your 
ability." 

"Have  you  heard  from  your  parents?"  asked 
Tom,  anxious  to  change  the  subject. 

"Oh,  yes.  I  had  a  wire  to-day.  They  stopped 
at  St.  Augustine  to  let  me  know  they  were  hav- 
ing a  glorious  time  aboard  the  yacht.  Mr.  Hos- 
brook,  the  owner,  is  an  ideal  host,  mamma  said* 
They  are  proceeding  directly  to  the  West  Indies, 
now.  I  do  hope  they  will  arrive  safely.  They 
say  there  are  bad  storms  down  there  at  this  time 
of  year." 

"Perhaps,  if  they  are  shipwrecked,  Mr.  Swift 


ANDY  FOGER'S  REVENGE  69 

will  go  to  their  rescue  in  one  of  his  airships,  or 
a  submarine,"  suggested  Mabel  Jackson,  one  of 
the  several  pretty  girls. 

"Oh,  I  hope  he  doesn't  have  to!"  exclaimed 
Mary.  "Don't  speak  of  shipwrecks!  It  makes 
me  shudder,"  and  she  seemed  unduly  alarmed. 

"Of  course  they  won't  have  any  trouble,"  as- 
serted Tom,  confidently,  more  to  reassure  Miss 
Nestor,  than  from  any  knowledge  he  possessed; 
"but  if  they  do  get  cast  away  on  a  desert  island, 
I'll  certainly  go  to  their  rescue,"  he  added. 

It  was  late  when  Tom  started  for  home  that 
night,  for  the  society  of  Miss  Nestor  and  her 
friends  made  the  time  pass  quickly.  He  promised 
to  call  again,  and  try  some  more  samples  of  the 
new  cook's  culinary  art,  as  soon  as  he  had  gotten 
Mr.  Fenwick's  airship  in  shape  for  flying. 

As,  later  that  night,  the  young  inventor  came 
in  sight  of  his  home,  and  the  various  buildings 
and  shops  surrounding  it,  his  first  glance  was 
toward  the  shed  which  contained  his  monoplane, 
Butterfly.  That  little  craft  was  Tom's  pet  It 
had  not  cost  him  anything  like  as  much  as  had 
his  other  inventions,  either  in  time  or  money, 
but  he  cared  more  for  it  than  for  his  big  airship, 
Red  Cloud.  This  was  principally  because  the 
'Butterfly  was  so  light  and  airy,  and  could  be 
gotten  ready  so  quickly  for  a  flight  across  coun* 


70       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

try.  It  was  capable  of  long  endurance,  too,  for 
an  extra  large  supply  of  gasolene  and  oil  was 
carried  aboard. 

So  it  was  with  rather  a  start  of  surprise  that 
Tom  saw  a  light  in  the  structure  where  the  But- 
terfly was  housed. 

"I  wonder  if  dad  or  Mr.  Jackson  can  be  out 
there?"  he  mused.  "Yet,  I  don't  see  why  they 
should  be.  They  wouldn't  be  going  for  a  flight 
at  night.  Or  perhaps  Mr.  Damon  arrived,  and 
is  out  looking  it  over." 

A  moment's  reflection,  however,  told  Tom  that 
this  last  surmise  could  not  be  true,  since  the 
eccentric  man  had  telegraphed,  saying  he  would 
not  arrive  until  the  next  day. 

"Somebody's  out  there,  however,"  went  on 
Tom,  "and  I'm  going  to  see  who  it  is.  I  hope 
it  isn't  Eradicate  monkeying  with  the  monoplane. 
He's  very  curious,  and  he  might  get  it  out  of 
order/' 

Tom  increased  his  pace,  and  moved  swiftly 
but  softly  toward  the  shed.  If  there  was  an  in- 
truder inside  he  wanted  to  surprise  him.  There 
were  large  windows  to  the  place,  and  they  would 
give  a  good  view  of  the  interior.  As  Tom  ap- 
proached, the  light  within  flickered,  and  moved 
to  and  fro. 


ANDY  FOGER'S  REVENGE  71 

Tom  reached  one  of  the  casements,  and  peered 
in.  He  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  moving  figure,  and 
he  heard  a  peculiar  ripping  sound.  Then,  as  he 
sprang  toward  the  front  door,  the  light  suddenly 
went  out,  and  the  young  inventor  could  hear 
some  one  running  from  the  shop. 

"They've  seen  me,  and  are  trying  to  get  away," 
thought  the  lad.  "I  must  catch  them !" 

He  fairly  leaped  toward  the  portal,  and,  just 
as  he  reached  it,  a  figure  sprang  out.  So  closQ 
was  Tom  that  the  unknown  collided  with  him, 
and  our  hero  went  over  on  his  back.  The  other 
person  was  tossed  back  by  the  force  of  the  im- 
pact, but  quickly  recovered  himself,  and  dashed 
away. 

Not  before,  however,  Tom  had  had  a  chance  to 
glance  at  his  face,  and,  to  the  chagrin  of  the 
young  inventor,  he  recognized,  by  the  dim  light 
of  a  crescent  moon,  the  countenance  of  Andy 
Foger!  If  additional  evidence  was  needed  Tom 
fully  recognized  the  form  as  that  of  the  town 
bully. 

"Hold  on  there,  Andy  Foger!"  shouted  the 
young  inventor.  "What  are  you  doing  in  my 
shed?  What  right  have  you  in  there?  What 
did  you  do?" 

Back  came  the  answer  through  the  night : 


72       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"I  told  you  I'd  get  square  with  you,  and  I've 
done  it,"  and  then  Andy's  footsteps  died  away, 
while  a  mocking  laugh  floated  back  to  Tom. 
What  was  Andy's  revenger! 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE   WHIZZER   FLIES 

FOR  a  moment,  Torn  gazed  after  the  fleeting 
figure  of  the  cowardly  bully.  He  was  half-minded 
to  give  pursuit,  and  then,  realizing  that  he  could 
find  Andy  later  if  he  wanted  him,  the  young  in- 
ventor  decided  his  best  plan  would  be  to  see  what 
damage  had  been  done.  For  that  damage  would 
follow  Andy's  secret  visit  to  the  shop,  Tom  was 
certain. 

Nor  was  his  surmise  wrong.  Stepping  into 
the  building,  the  lad  switched  on  the  lights,  and 
he  could  not  repress  an  exclamation  of  chagrin 
as  he  looked  toward  his  trim  little  monoplane,  the 
Butterfly. 

Now  it  was  a  Butterfly  with  broken  wings,  for 
[Andy  had  slashed  the  canvas  of  the  planes  in  a 
score  of  places. 

"The  scoundrel!"  growled  Tom.  "I'll  make 
him  suffer  for  this!  He's  all  but  ruined  toy 
aeroplane." 

75 


74       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Tom  walked  around  his  pet  machine.  As  he 
came  in  front,  and  saw  the  propeller,  he  gave 
another  exclamation.  The  fine  wooden  blades 
of  several  layers,  gracefully  curved,  which  had 
cost  him  so  much  in  time  and  labor  to  build  up, 
and  then  fashion  to  the  right  shape,  had  been 
hacked,  and  cut  with  an  axe.  The  propeller  was 
useless ! 

"More  of  Andy's  work,"  murmured  Tom. 
"This  is  about  the  worst  yet !" 

There  came  over  him  a  feeling  of  great 
despondency,  which  was  succeeded  by  a  justifiable 
rage.  He  wanted  to  take  after  the  bully,  and  give 
him  a  merciless  beating.  Then  a  calmer  mood 
came  over  Tom. 

"After  all,  what's  the  use?"  he  reasoned. 
"Whipping  Andy  wouldn't  mend  the  Butterfly. 
She's  in  bad  shape,  but  I  can  repair  her,  when 
I  get  time.  Luckily,  he  didn't  meddle  with  the 
engine.  That's  all  right."  A  hasty  examination 
had  shown  this.  "I  guess  I  won't  do  anything 
now,"  went  on  Tom.  "I'll  have  my  hands  full 
getting  Mr.  Fenwick's  airship  to  run.  After 
that  I  can  come  back  here  and  fix  up  my  own. 
It's  a  good  thing  I  don't  have  to  depend  on  her 
for  making  the  trip  to  Philadelphia.  Poor  But- 
terfly! you  sure  are  in  a  bad  way,"  and  Tom  felt 
almost  as  if  he  was  talking  to  some  living  crea- 


THE  WHIZZER  FLIES  75 

ture,  so  wrapped  up  was  he  in  his  trim  little  mon- 
oplane. 

After  another  disheartening  look  at  his  air 
craft,  the  young  inventor  started  to  leave  the 
shop.  He  looked  at  a  door,  the  fastening  of 
which  Andy  had  broken  to  gain  admittance. 

"I  should  have  had  the  burglar  alarm  work- 
ing, and  this  would  never  have  happened,"  rea- 
soned Tom.  All  the  buildings  were  arranged  so 
that  if  any  one  entered  them  after  a  certain  hour, 
an  alarm  would  ring  in  the  house.  But  of  late, 
the  alarm  had  not  been  set,  as  Tom  and  his 
father  were  not  working  on  any  special  inven- 
tions that  needed  guarding.  It  was  due  to  this 
oversight  that  Andy  was  able  to  get  in  unde- 
tected. 

"But  it  won't  happen  again,"  declared  Tom, 
and  he  at  once  began  connecting  the  burglar-ap- 
paratus. He  went  into  the  house,  and  told  his 
father  and  the  engineer  what  had  occurred.  They 
were  both  indignant,  and  the  engineer  declared 
ihat  he  would  sleep  with  one  eye  open  all  night, 
ready  to  respond  to  the  first  alarm." 

"Oh,  there's  no  danger  of  Andy  coming  back 
right  away,"  said  Tom.  "He's  too  frightened. 
I  wouldn't  be  surprised  if  he  disappeared  for  a 
time.  He'll  be  thinking  that  I'm  after  him." 

This  proved  true,  as  Andy  had  left  town  next 


76       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

morning,  and  to  all  inquiries  his  mother  said 
he  had  gone  to  visit  relatives.  She  was  not 
aware  of  her  son's  meanness,  and  Tom  did  not 
tell  her. 

Mr.  Damon  arrived  from  his  home  in  Water- 
field  that  day,  and,  with  many  "blessings,"  wanted 
to  know  if  Tom  was  ready  for  the  trial  of  the 
electrical  airship. 

"Yes,  we'll  leave  for  Philadelphia  to-morrow," 
was  the  answer. 

"Are  we  going  in  the  Butterfly?  Bless  my 
watch  chain,  but  I  like  that  little  machine!" 

"It  will  be  some  time  before  you  again  have  a 
flight  in  her,"  said  Tom,  sorrowfully,  as  he  told 
of  Andy's  act  of  vandalism. 

"Why,  bless  my  individuality!"  cried  Mr.  Da- 
mon, indignantly.  "I  never  heard  of  such  a 
thing!  Never!" 

It  did  little  good  to  talk  of  it,  however,  and 
Tom  wanted  to  forget  about  it.  He  wished  he 
had  time  to  repair  the  monoplane  before  he  left 
home,  but  there  was  much  to  do  to  get  ready  for 
the  trial  of  the  Whizzer. 

"When  will  you  be  back,  Tom?"  asked  Mr. 
Swift,  as  his  son  and  Mr.  Damon  departed  for 
the  Quaker  City  the  following  morning. 

"Hard  to  say,  dad.    If  I  can  make  a  long  flight 


THE  WHIZZER  FLIES  73 

in  the  Whiszer  I'll  do  so.  I  may  even  drop 
down  here  and  pay  you  a  visit.  But  if  I  find 
there  are  many  more  changes  to  make  in  her  con- 
struction, which  is  more  than  likely,  I  can't  say 
when  I'll  return.  I'll  keep  you  posted,  however, 
by  writing." 

"Can't  you  arrange  to  send  me  some  wireless 
messages?"  asked  the  older  inventor,  with  a 
smile. 

"I  could,  if  I  had  thought  to  rig  up  the  appa- 
ratus on  Mr.  Fenwick's  airship,"  was  the  reply. 
"I'll  hardly  have  time  to  do  it  now,  though." 

"Send  wireless  messages  from  an  aeroplane?" 
gasped  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless  my  gizzard !  I  never 
heard  of  such  a  thing !" 

"Oh,  it  can  be  done,"  Tom  assured  him.  And 
this  was  a  fact.  Tom  had  installed  a  wireless  ap- 
paratus on  his  Red  Cloud  recently,  and  it  is  well 
known  that  several  of  the  modern  biplanes  can 
send  wireless  messages.  The  crossing  and  brac- 
ing wires  of  the  frame  are  used  for  sending 
wires,  and  in  place  of  ground  conductors  there 
are  trailers  which  hang  below  the  aeroplane.  The 
current  is  derived  directly  from  the  engine,  and 
the  remaining  things  needed  are  a  small  step-up 
transformer,  a  key  and  a  few  other  small  parts. 
Tom  had  gone  a  step  farther  than  this,  and  had 


78       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

also  arranged  to  receive  wireless  messages, 
though  few  modern  aeroplanes  are  thus  equipped 
as  yet. 

But,  of  course,  there  was  no  time  now  to  in- 
stall a  wireless  apparatus  on  Mr.  Fenwick's 
craft.  Tom  thought  he  would  be  lucky  if  he  got 
the  Whizzer  to  make  even  a  short  flight. 

"Well,  let  me  hear  from  you  when  you  can," 
requested  Mr.  Swift,  and  Tom  promised.  It  was 
some  time  after  that,  and  many  strange  things 
happened  before  Tom  Swift  again  communicated 
with  his  father,  at  any  length. 

The  young  inventor  had  bidden  farewell  to 
Miss  Nestor  the  night  previous.  She  stated  that 
she  had  a  message  that  day  from  her  parents 
aboard  the  Resolute,  which  spoke  a  passing 
steamer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nestor,  and  the  other 
guests  of  Mr.  Hosbrook  were  well,  and  antici- 
pated a  fine  time  on  reaching  the  West  Indies. 

Tom  now  said  good-by  to  his  father,  the 
housekeeper  and  Mr.  Jackson,  not  forgetting,  of 
course,  Eradicate  Sampson. 

"Don't  let  Andy  Foger  come  sneaking  around 
here,  Rad,"  cautioned  the  young  inventor. 

"  'Deed  an'  I  won't !"  exclaimed  the  colored 
man.  "Ef  he  do,  I'll  hab  Boomerang  kick  him 
t'  pieces,  an'  den  I'll  whitewash  him  so  his  own 


THE  WHIZZER  FLIES  79 

folks  won't  know  him !  Oh,  don't  you  worry, 
Massa  Tom.  Dat  Andy  won't  do  no  funny  busi- 
ness when  I'm  around!" 

Tom  laughed,  and  started  for  the  station  with 
Mr.  Damon.  They  arrived  in  Philadelphia  that 
afternoon,  the  trip  being  very  slow,  as  compared 
with  the  one  made  by  the  monoplane.  They  found 
Mr.  Fenwick  anxiously  awaiting  them,  and  Tom 
at  once  started  work  on  the  airship. 

He  kept  at  it  until  late  that  night,  and  resumed 
early  the  next  morning.  Many  more  changes  and 
adjustments  were  made,  and  that  afternoon,  the 
young  inventor  said: 

"I  think  we'll  give  it  a  try-out,  Mr.  Fenwick." 

"Do  you  mean  make  a  flight?" 

"Yes,  if  she'll  take  it;  but  only  a  short  one.  I 
want  to  get  her  up  in  the  air,  and  see  how  she 
behaves." 

"Well,  if  you  find  out,  after  you're  up,  that  she 
does  well,  you  may  want  to  take  a  long  flight," 
suggested  Mr.  Fenwick.  "If  you  do,  why  I  have 
everything  aboard  necessary  for  a  long  voyage. 
The  Whizzer  is  well  stocked  with  provisions." 

An  hour  later,  the  big  electric  machine  was 
wheeled  out  into  the  yard,  for,  in  spite  of  her 
size,  four  men  could  easily  move  the  craft  about, 
so  well  was  she  balanced.  Aside  from  a  few 


go       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

personal  friends  of  the  inventor,  himself,  his  ma- 
chinists, Tom  and  Mr.  Damon,  no  one  was 
present  at  the  try-out. 

Tom,  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Fenwick  climbed 
into  the  car  which  was  suspended  below  the  gas 
bag,  and  between  the  wing-like  planes  on  either 
side.  The  young  inventor  had  decided  to  make 
the  Whizzer  rise  by  scudding  her  across  the 
ground  on  the  bicycle  wheels,  with  which  she  was 
equipped,  and  then  by  using  the  tilting  planes  to 
endeavor  to  lift  her  off  the  earth.  He  wanted  to 
see  if  she  would  go  up  that  way,  without  the  use 
of  the  gas  bag. 

All  was  in  readiness.  The  motor  was  started 
and  the  machinery  began  to  hum  and  throb.  The 
propellers  gained  speed  with  every  revolution. 
The  airship  had  been  made  fast  by  a  rope,  to 
which  was  attached  a  strong  spring  balance,  as  it 
was  desired  to  see  how  much  pull  the  engine 
would  give. 

"Eight  hundred  pounds,"  announced  one  of 
the  machinists. 

"A  thousand  would  be  better,  but  we'll  try  it," 
murmured  Tom.  "Cast  off!" 

The  rope  was  loosened,  and,  increasing  the 
speed  of  the  engine,  Tom  signalled  to  the  men 
to  give  a  little  momentum  to  the  craft.  She 
began  running  over  the  smooth  group d  There 


THE  WHIZZER  FLIES  8l 

was  a  cheer  from  the  few  spectators.  Certainly 
the  Whizzer  made  good  time  on  the  earth. 

Tom  was  anxiously  watching  the  gages  and 
other  instruments.  He  wanted  a  little  more 
speed,  but  could  not  seem  to  get  it.  He  ran  the 
motor  to  the  utmost,  and  then,  seeing  the  neces- 
sity of  making  an  attempt  to  get  up  into  the  air, 
before  the  end  of  the  speeding  ground  was 
reached,  he  pulled  the  elevating  plane  lever. 

The  front  of  the  Whizzer  rose,  and  then  set- 
tled down.  Tom  quickly  shut  off  the  power,  and 
jammed  on  the  brake,  an  arrangement  of  spikes 
that  dug  into  the  earth,  for  the  high  board  fence 
loomed  up  before  him. 

"What's  the  matter?"  cried  Mr.  Fenwick, 
anxiously. 

"Couldn't  get  up  speed  enough,"  answered  the 
young  inventor.  "We  must  have  more  momen- 
tum to  make  her  rise." 

"Can  it  be  gotten?" 

"I  think  so.    I'll  gear  the  motor  higher." 

It  took  an  hour  to  do  this.  Once  more  the 
scale  test  was  applied.  It  registered  a  pull  of 
fifteen  hundred  pounds  now. 

"We'll  go  up,"  said  Tom,  grimly. 

Once  more  the  motors  spit  out  fire,  and  the 
propellers  whirled  so  that  they  looked  like  mere 
circles  of  light.  Once  more  the  Whizzer  shot 


82       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

over  the  ground,  but  this  time,  as  she  neared  the 
fence,  she  rose  up  like  a  bird,  cleared  it  like  a 
trick  horse,  and  soared  off  into  the  air! 
The  WHzzer  was  flying! 


CHAPTER  X 

OVER    THE    OCEAN 

"HURRAH!"  cried  Mr.  Fenwick  in  delight 
"My  machine  is  really  flying  at  last !" 

"Yes,"  answered  Tom,  as  he  adjusted  various 
levers  and  gears,  "she  is  going.  It's  not  as  high 
as  I'd  like,  but  it  is  doing  very  well,  considering 
the  weight  of  the  craft,  and  the  fact  that  we  have 
not  used  the  gas  bag.  I'm  going  to  let  that  fill 
now,  and  we'll  go  up.  Don't  you  want  to  steer, 
Mr.  Fenwick?" 

"No,  you  manage  it,  Tom,  until  it's  in  good 
running  shape.  I  don't  want  to  'hoodoo'  it.  I 
worked  as  hard  as  I  could,  and  never  got  more 
than  two  feet  off  the  ground.  Now  I'm  really 
sailing.  It's  great!" 

He  was  very  enthusiastic,  2nd  Tom  himself 
was  not  a  little  pleased  at  his  own  success,  for 
certainly  the  airship  had  looked  to  be  a  very  dubi- 
ous proposition  at  first. 

"Bless  my  gaiters!  But  we  are  doing  pretty 
83 


84       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

well,"  remarked  Mr.  Damon,  looking  down  on 
the  field  where  Mr.  Fenwick's  friends  and  the 
machinists  were  gathered,  cheering  and  waving 
their  hands. 

"We'll  do  better,"  declared  Tom. 

He  had  already  set  the  gas  machine  in  opera- 
tion, and  was  now  looking  over  the  electric  ap- 
paratus, to  see  that  it  was  working  well.  It 
needed  some  adjustments,  which  he  made. 

All  this  while  the  Whizzer  was  moving  about 
in  a  big  circle,  for  the  rudder  had  been  auto- 
matically set  to  so  swing  the  craft.  It  was  about 
two  hundred  feet  high,  but  soon  after  the  gas 
began  to  enter  the  bag  it  rose  until  it  was  nearly 
five  thousand  feet  high.  This  satisfied  Tom  that 
the  airship  could  do  better  than  he  expected,  and 
he  decided  to  return  nearer  earth. 

In  going  down,  he  put  the  craft  through  a 
number  of  evolutions  designed  to  test  her  ability 
to  answer  the  rudders  promptly.  The  lad  saw 
opportunity  for  making  a  number  of  changes,  and 
suggested  them  to  Mr.  Fenwick. 

"Are  you  going  any  farther?"  asked  the  owner 
of  the  Whlzzer,  as  he  saw  that  his  craft  was 
slowly  settling. 

"No,  I  think  we've  done  enough  for  the  first 
day,"  said  Tom.  "But  I'd  like  you  to  handle  her 


OVER  THE  OCEAN  85 

now,  Mr.  Fenwick.  You  can  make  the  landing, 
while  I  watch  the  motor  and  other  machines." 

"Yes,  I  guess  I  can  make  a  landing  all  right," 
assented  the  inventor.  "I'm  better  at  coming 
"down  than  going  up." 

He  did  make  a  good  descent,  and  received  the 
congratulation  of  his  friends  as  he  stepped  from 
the  airship.  Tom  was  also  given  much  praise  for 
his  success  in  making  the  craft  go  at  all,  for  Mr. 
Fenwick  and  his  acquaintances  had  about  given 
up  hope  that  she  ever  would  rise. 

"Well,  what  do  you  think  of  her?"  Mr.  Fen- 
wick wanted  to  know  of  the  young  inventor,  who 
replied  that,  as  soon  as  some  further  changes  had 
been  made,  they  would  attempt  a  long  flight. 

This  promise  was  kept  two  days  later.  They 
were  busy  days  for  Tom,  Mr.  Fenwick  and  the 
latter's  assistants.  Tom  sent  a  short  note  to  his 
father  telling  of  the  proposed  long  flight,  and  in- 
timated that  he  might  make  a  call  in  Shopton  if 
all  went  well.  He  also  sent  a  wire  to  Miss  Nes- 
tor, hinting  that  she  might  have  some  apple  turn- 
overs ready  for  him. 

But  Tom  never  called  for  that  particular 
pastry,  though  it  was  gotten  ready  for  him  when 
the  girl  received  his  message. 

All  was  in  readiness  for  the  long  flight,  and 
a  preliminary  test  had  demonstrated  that  the. 


86       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE, 

Whizzcr  had  been  wonderfully  improved  by  the 
changes  Tom  made.  The  young  inventor  looked 
over  the  supply  of  food  Mr.  Femvick  had  placed 
aboard,  glanced  at  the  other  stores,  and  asked : 

"How  long  do  you  expect  to  be  gone,  Mr. 
Fen  wick  ?" 

"Why,  don't  you  think  we  can  stay  out  a 
week?" 

"That's  quite  a  while,"  responded  Tom.  "We 
may  be  glad  to  return  in  two  days,  or  less.  But 
I  think  we're  all  ready  to  start.  Are  any  of  your 
friends  going?" 

"I've  tried  to  pursuade  some  of  them  to  ac- 
company me,  but  they  are  a  bit  timid,"  said  the 
inventor.  "I  guess  we  three  will  make  up  the 
party  this  time,  though  if  our  trip  is  a  successful 
one  I'll  be  overwhelmed  with  requests  for  rides, 
I  suppose." 

As  before,  a  little  crowd  gathered  to  see  the 
start.  The  day  was  warm,  but  there  was  a  slight 
haziness  which  Tom  did  not  like.  He  hoped, 
though,  that  it  would  pass  over  before  they  had 
gone  far. 

"Do  you  wish  to  head  for  any  particular  spot, 
Mr.  Fenwick?"  asked  Tom,  as  they  were  enter- 
ing the  cabin. 

"Yes,  I  would  like  to  go  down  and  circle  Cape 
May,  New  Jersey,  if  we  could.  I  have  a  friend 


OVER  7 HE  OCEAN  87 

who  has  a  summer  cottage  there,  and  he  was  al- 
ways laughing  at  my  airship.  I'd  just  like  to 
drop  down  in  front  of  his  place  now,  and  pay 
him  a  call." 

"We'll  try  it,"  assented  Tom,  with  a  smile. 

An  auspicious  start  was  made,  the  Whizser 
taking  the  air  after  a  short  flight  across  the 
ground,  and  then,  with  the  lifting  gas  aiding  in 
pulling  the  craft  upward,  the  airship  started  to 
sail  high  over  the  city  of  Philadelphia. 

So  swiftly  did  it  rise  that  the  cheers  of  the 
little  crowd  of  Mr.  Fenwick's  friends  were 
scarcely  heard.  Up  and  up  it  went,  and  then  a 
little  later,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  crowds  in 
the  streets,  Tom  put  the  airship  twice  in  a  circle 
around  the  statue  of  William  Penn,  on  the  top 
of  the  City  Hall. 

"Now  you  steer,"  the  lad  invited  Mr.  Fenwick. 
"Take  her  straight  across  the  Delaware  River, 
and  over  Camden,  New  Jersey,  and  then  head 
south,  for  Cape  May.  WTe  ought  to  make  it  in 
an  hour,  for  we  are  getting  up  good  speed." 

Leaving  the  owner  in  charge  of  his  craft,  to 
that  gentleman's  no  small  delight,  Tom  and  Mr. 
Damon  began  an  inspection  of  the  electrical  and 
other  machinery.  There  was  much  that  needed 
attention,  but  Tom  soon  had  the  automatic  aj> 


88       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

paratus  in  working  order,  and  then  less  attention 
need  be  given  to  it. 

Several  times  the  young  inventor  looked  out 
of  the  windows  with  which  the  cabin  was  fitted. 
Mr.  Damon  noticed  this. 

"Bless  my  shoe  laces,  Tom,"  he  said.  "What's 
the  matter?" 

"I  don't  like  the  looks  of  the  weather,"  was 
the  answer.  "I  think  we're  in  for  a  storm." 

"Then  let's  put  back." 

"No,  it  would  be  too  bad  to  disappoint  Mr. 
Fenwick,  now  that  we  have  made  such  a  good 
start.  He  wants  to  make  a  long  flight,  and  I 
can't  blame  him,"  spoke  Tom,  in  a  low  voice. 

"But  if  there's  danger " 

"Oh,  well,  we  can  soon  be  at  Cape  May,  and 
start  back.  The  wind  is  freshening  rather  sud- 
denly, though,"  and  Tom  looked  at  the  anemom- 
eter, which  showed  a  speed  of  twenty  miles  an 
hour.  However,  it  was  in  their  favor,  aiding 
them  to  make  faster  time. 

The  speed  of  the  Whizzer  was  now  about  forty 
miles  an  hour,  not  fast  for  an  air  craft,  but  suf- 
ficiently speedy  in  trying  out  a  new  machine. 
Tom  looked  at  the  barograph,  and  noted  that 
they  had  attained  an  altitude  of  seven  thousand 
five  hundred  feet. 

"That's  better  than  millionaire  Daxtel's  dis- 


OVER  THE  OCEAN  89 

tance  of  seven  thousand  one  hundred  and  five 
feet,"  remarked  the  lad,  with  a  smile,  "and  it 
breaks  Jackson's  climb  of  seven  thousand  three 
hundred  and  three  feet,  which  is  pretty  good  for 
'your  machine,  Mr.  Fenwick." 

"Do  you  really  think  so?"  asked  the  pleased 
inventor. 

"Yes.  And  we'll  do  better  than  that  in  time, 
but  it's  best  to  go  slow  at  first,  until  we  see  how 
she  is  standing  the  strain.  This  is  high  and  fast 
enough  for  the  present." 

They  kept  on,  and  as  Tom  saw  that  the  ma- 
chinery was  working  well,  he  let  it  out  a  little. 
The  Whizzer  at  once  leaped  forward,  and,  a 
little  later  they  came  within  sight  of  Cape  May, 
the  Jersey  coast  resort. 

"Now  to  drop  down  and  visit  my  friend,"  said 
Mr.  Fenwick,  with  a  smile.  "Won't  he  be  sur- 
prised!" 

"I  don't  think  we'd  better  do  it,"  said  Tom. 

"Why  not?" 

"Well,  the  wind  is  getting  stronger  every 
minute  and  it  will  be  against  us  on  the  way  back. 
If  we  descend,  and  try  to  make  another  ascension 
we  may  fail.  We're  up  in  the  air  now,  and  it 
may  be  easy  to  turn  around  and  go  back.  Then, 
again,  it  may  not,  but  it  certainly  will  be  easier 
to  shift  around  up  here  than  down  on  the  ground. 


90       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

So  I'd  rather  not  descend — that  is,  not  entirely 
to  the  ground." 

"Well,  just  as  you  say,  though  I  wanted  my 
friend  to  know  I  could  build  a  successful  air- 
ship." 

"Oh,  we  can  get  around  that.  I'll  take  hei 
down  as  low  as  is  safe,  and  fly  over  his  house, 
if  you'll  point  it  out,  and  you  can  drop  him  a 
message  in  one  of  the  pasteboard  tubes  we  carry 
for  that  purpose." 

'That's  a  good  idea,"  assented  Mr.  Fenwick. 
"I'll  do  it." 

Tom  sent  the  Whizzer  down  until  the  hotels 
and  cottages  could  be  made  out  quite  plainly. 
After  looking  with  a  pair  of  opera  glasses,  Mr. 
Fenwick  picked  out  the  residence  of  his  friend, 
and  Tom  prepared  to  circle  about  the  roof. 

By  this  time  the  presence  of  the  airship  had 
become  known  to  hundreds,  and  crowds  were 
eagerly  watching  it. 

"There  he  is!  There's  my  friend  who  didn't 
believe  I  would  ever  succeed!"  exclaimed  Mr. 
Fenwick,  pointing  to  a  man  who  stood  in  the 
street  in  front  of  a  large,  white  house.  "I'll  drop 
him  a  message!" 

One  was  in  readiness  in  a  weighted  pasteboard 
cylinder,  and  soon  it  was  falling  downward.  The 


OVER  THE  OCEAN  91 

airship  was  moving  slowly,  as  it  was  beating 
against  the  wind. 

Leaning  out  of  the  cabin  window,  Mr.  Fen- 
wick  shouted  to  his  friend : 

"Hey,  Will !  I  thought  you  said  my  airship 
would  never  go !  I'll  come  and  give  you  a  ride, 
some  day!" 

Whether  the  gentleman  understood  what  Mr. 
Fenwick  shouted  at  him  is  doubtful,  but  he  saw 
the  inventor  waving  his  hand,  and  he  saw  the 
falling  cylinder,  and  a  look  of  astonishment 
spread  over  his  face,  as  he  ran  to  pick  up  the 
message. 

"We're  going  up  now,  and  will  try  to  head  for 
home,"  said  Tom,  a  moment  later,  as  he  shifted 
the  rudder. 

"Bless  my  storage  battery !"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 
"But  we  have  had  a  fine  trip." 

"A  much  better  one  than  we'll  have  going 
back,"  observed  Tom,  in  a  low  voice. 

"Why;  what's  the  matter?"  asked  the  eccentric 
man. 

"The  wind  has  increased  to  a  gale,  and  will 
be  dead  against  us,"  answered  Tom. 

Mr.  Fenwick  was  busy  writing  another  mes- 
sage to  drop,  and  he  paid  little  attention  to  the 
young  inventor.  Tom  sent  the  craft  well  up  into 
the  air,  and  then  tried  to  turn  it  about,  and  head 


92       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

back  for  Philadelphia.  No  sooner  had  he  done 
so  than  the  airship  was  met  by  the  full  force  of 
the  wind,  which  was  now  almost  a  hurricane. 
It  had  steadily  increased,  but,  as  long  as  they 
were  moving  with  it,  they  did  not  notice  it  so 
much.  Once  they  attempted  to  stem  its  fury 
they  found  themselves  almost  helpless. 

Tom  quickly  realized  this,  and,  giving  up  his 
intention  of  beating  up  against  the  wind,  he 
turned  the  craft  around,  and  let  it  fly  before  the 
gale,  the  propellers  aiding  to  get  up  a  speed  of 
seventy  miles  an  hour. 

Mr.  Fenwick,  who  had  dropped  the  last  of  his 
messages,  came  from  his  small  private  cabin,  to 
where  Mr.  Damon  and  Tom  were  in  a  low-voiced 
conversation  near  the  engines.  The  owner  of 
the  Whizzer,  happened  to  look  down  through  a 
plate-glass  window  in  the  floor  of  car.  What 
he  saw  caused  him  to  give  a  gasp  of  astonish- 
ment. 

"Why — why!"  he  exclaimed.  "We — we're 
over  the  ocean." 

"Yes,"  answered  Tom,  quietly,  as  he  gazed 
down  on  the  tumbling  billows  below  them.  They 
had  quickly  passed  over  Cape  May,  across  the 
sandy  beach,  and  were  now  well  out  over  the 
Atlantic. 

"Why — why  are  we  out  here  ?"  asked  Mr.  Fen- 


07 ER  THE  OCEAN  93 

wick.  "Isn't  it  dangerous — in  an  airship  that 
hasn't  been  thoroughly  tried  yet  ?" 

"Dangerous?  Yes,  somewhat,"  replied  Tom, 
slowly.  "But  we  can't  help  ourselves,  Mr.  Fen- 
wick.  We  can't  turn  around  and  go  back  in  this 
gale,  and  we  can't  descend." 

"Then  what's  to  be  done?" 

"Nothing,  except  to  keep  on  until  the  gale 
blows  itself  out." 

"And  how  long  will  that  be?" 

"I  don't  know — a  week,  maybe." 

"Bless  my  coffee  pot,  I'm  glad  we've  got  plenty 
on  board  to  eat !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon. 


CHAPTER  XI 

A   NIGHT   OF   TERROR 

AFTER  the  first  shock  of  Tom's  announcement, 
the  two  men,  who  were  traveling  with  him  in  the 
airship,  showed  no  signs  of  fear.  Yet  it  was 
alarming  to  know  that  one  was  speeding  over 
the  mighty  ocean,  before  a  terrific  gale,  with 
nothing  more  substantial  under  one  that  a  com- 
paratively frail  airship. 

Still  Mr.  Damon  knew  Tom  of  old,  and  had 
confidence  in  his  ability,  and,  while  Mr.  Fenwick 
was  not  so  well  acquainted  with  our  hero,  he  had 
heard  much  about  him,  and  put  faith  in  his  skill 
to  carry  them  out  of  their  present  difficulty. 

"Are  you  sure  you  can't  turn  around  and  go 
back?"  asked  Mr.  Fenwick.  Kis  knowledge  of 
air-currents  w?s  rather  limited. 

"It  is  cut  of  th/>.  question,"  replied  Tom, 
simply.  "We  would  surely  rip  this  craft  to  pieces 
if  we  attempted  to  buffet  this  storn*" 

"Is  it  so  bad,  then?"  asked  Mr.  Damon,  for- 
94 


A  NIGHT  OF  TERROR  95 

getting  to  bless  anything  in  the  tense  excitement 
of  the  moment. 

"It  might  be  worse,"  was  the  reply  of  the  young 
inventor.  "The  wind  is  blowing  about  eighty 
miles  an  hour  at  times,  and  to  try  to  turn  now 
would  mean  that  we  would  tear  the  planes  loose 
from  the  ship.  True,  we  could  still  keep  up  by 
means  of  the  gas  bag,  but  even  that  might  be  in- 
jured. Going  as  we  are,  in  the  same  direction 
as  that  in  which  the  wind  is  blowing,  we  do  not 
feel  the  full  effect  of  it." 

"But,  perhaps,  if  we  went  lower  down,  or 
higher  up,  we  could  get  in  a  different  current  of 
air,"  suggested  Mr.  Fen  wick,  who  had  made  some 
study  of  aeronautics. 

"I'll  try,"  assented  Tom,  simply.  He  shifted 
the  elevating  rudder,  and  the  Whizzer  began  to 
go  up,  slowly,  for  there  was  great  lateral  pres- 
sure on  her  large  surface.  But  Tom  knew  his 
business,  and  urged  the  craft  steadily.  The 
powerful  electric  engines,  which  were  the  inven- 
tion of  Mr.  Fenwick,  stood  them  in  good  stead, 
and  the  barograph  soon  showed  that  they  were 
steadily  mounting. 

"Is  the  wind  pressure  any  less?"  inquired  Mr. 
Damon,  anxiously. 

On  the  contrary,  it  seems  to  be  increasing," 


96       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

'replied  Tom,  with  a  glance  at  the  anemometer. 
"It's  nearly  ninety  miles  an  hour  now." 

"Then,  aided  by  the  propellers,  we  must  be 
making  over  a  hundred  miles  an  hour,"  said  the 
inventor. 

"We  are, — a  hundred  and  thirty,"  assented 
Tom. 

"We'll  be  blown  across  the  ocean  at  this  rate," 
exclaimed  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless  my  soul!  I 
didn't  count  on  that." 

"Perhaps  we  had  better  go  down,"  suggested 
Mr.  Fenwick.  "I  don't  believe  we  can  get  above 
the  gale." 

"I'm  afraid  not,"  came  from  Tom.  "It  may 
be  a  bit  better  down  below." 

Accordingly,  the  rudder  was  changed,  and  the 
Whizzer  pointed  her  nose  downward.  None  of 
the  lifting  gas  was  let  out,  as  it  was  desired  to 
save  that  for  emergencies. 

Down,  down,  down,  went  the  great  airship, 
until  the  adventurers  within,  by  gazing  through 
the  plate  glass  window  in  the  floor  of  the  cabin, 
could  see  the  heaving,  white-capped  billows,  toss- 
ing and  tumbling  below  them. 

"Look  out,  or  we'll  be  into  them !"  shouted 
Mr.  Damon. 

"I  guess  we  may  as  well  go  back  to  the  level 
where  we  were,"  declared  Tom.  "The  wind. 


A  NIGHT  OF  TERROR  97 

both  above  and  below  that  particular  strata  is 
stronger,  and  we  will  be  safer  up  above.  Our 
only  chance  is  to  scud  before  it,  until  it  has  blown 
itself  out.  And  I  hope  it  will  be  soon." 

"Why?"  asked  Mr.  Damon,  in  a  low  voice. 

"Because  we  may  be  blown  so  far  that  we  can 
not  get  back  while  our  power  holds  out,  and 

then "  Tom  did  not  finish,  but  Mr.  Damon 

knew  what  he  meant — death  in  the  tossing  ocean, 
far  from  land,  when  the  Whizser,  unable  to  float 
in  the  air  any  longer,  should  drop  into  the  storm- 
enraged  Atlantic. 

They  were  again  on  a  level,  where  the  gale 
blew  less  furiously  than  either  above  or  below, 
but  this  was  not  much  relief.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  airship  would  go  to  pieces,  so  much  was  it 
swayed  and  tossed  about.  But  Mr.  Fenwick,  if 
he  had  done  nothing  else,  had  made  a  staunch 
craft,  which  stood  the  travelers  in  good  stead. 

All  the  rest  of  that  day  they  swept  on,  at  about 
the  same  speed.  There  was  nothing  for  them 
to  do,  save  watch  the  machinery,  occasionally  re- 
plenishing the  oil  tanks,  or  making  minor  ad- 
justments. 

"Well,"  finally  remarked  Mr.  Damon,  when  the 
afternoon  was  waning  away,  "if  there's  nothing 
else  to  do,  suppose  we  eat.  Bless  my  appetite, 


98       TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

but  I'm  hungry!  and  I  believe  you  said,   Mr. 
Fenwick,  that  you  had  plenty  of  food  aboard." 

"So  we  have,  but  the  excitement  of  being 
blown  out  to  sea  on  our  first  real  trip,  made  me 
forget  all  about  it.  I'll  get  dinner  at  once,  if 
you  can  put  up  with  an  amateur's  cooking." 

"And  I'll  help,"  offered  Mr.  Damon.  "Tom 
can  attend  to  the  airship,  and  we'll  serve  the 
meals.  It  will  take  our  minds  off  our  troubles." 

There  was  a  well  equipped  kitchen  aboard  the 
Whizzer  and  soon  savory  odors  were  coming 
from  it.  In  spite  of  the  terror  of  their  situation, 
and  it  was  not  to  be  denied  that  they  were  in 
peril,  they  all  made  a  good  meal,  though  it  was 
difficult  to  drink  coffee  and  other  liquids,  owing 
to  the  sudden  lurches  which  the  airship  gave  from 
time  to  time  as  the  gale  tossed  her  to  and  fro. 

Night  came,  and,  as  the  blackness  settled  down, 
the  gale  seemed  to  increase  in  fury.  It  howled 
through  the  slender  wire  rigging  of  the  Whizser, 
and  sent  the  craft  careening  from  side  to  side,  and 
sometimes  thrust  her  down  into  a  cavern  of  the 
air,  only  to  lift  her  high  again,  almost  like  a 
ship  on  the  heaving  ocean  below  them. 

As  darkness  settled  in  blacker  and  blacker, 
Tom  had  a  glimpse  below  him,  of  tossing  lights 
on  the  water. 

".We  just  passed  over  some  vessel,"  he  an- 


A  NIGHT  OF  TERROR  99 

nounced.  "I  hope  they  are  in  no  worse  plight 
than  we  are."  Then,  there  suddenly  came  to 
him  a  thought  of  the  parents  of  Mary  Nestor, 
who  were  somewhere  on  the  ocean,  in  the  yacht 
Resolute  bound  for  the  West  Indies. 

"I  wonder  if  they're  out  in  this  storm,  too?" 
mused  Tom.  "If  they  are,  unless  the  vessel  is 
a  staunch  one,  they  may  be  in  danger." 

The  thought  of  the  parents  of  the  girl  he  cared 
so  much  for  being  in  peril,  was  not  reassuring  to 
Tom,  and  he  began  to  busy  himself  about  the 
machinery  of  the  airship,  to  take  his  mind  from 
the  presentiment  that  something  might  happen  to 
the  Resolute. 

"We'll  have  our  own  troubles  before  morn- 
ing," the  lad  mused,  "if  this  wind  doesn't  die 
down." 

There  was  no  indication  that  this  was  going  to 
be  the  case,  for  the  gale  increased  rather  than 
diminished.  Tom  looked  at  their  speed  gage. 
They  were  making  a  good  ninety  miles  an  hour, 
for  it  had  been  decided  that  it  was  best  to  keep 
the  engine  and  propellers  going,  as  they  steadied 
the  ship. 

"Ninety  miles  an  hour,"  murmured  Tom. 
"And  we've  been  going  at  that  rate  for  ten  hours 
now.  That's  nearly  a  thousand  miles.  We  are 
quite  a  distance  out  to  sea." 


100     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

He  looked  at  a  compass,  and  noted  that,  in- 
stead of  being  headed  directly  across  the  At- 
lantic they  were  bearing  in  a  southerly  direc- 
tion. 

"At  this  rate,  we  won't  come  far  from  getting 
to  the  West  Indies  ourselves,"  reasoned  the  young 
inventor.  "But  I  think  the  gale  will  die  away 
before  morning." 

The  storm  did  not,  however.  More  fiercely  it 
blew  through  the  hours  of  darkness.  It  was  a 
night  of  terror,  for  they  dared  not  go  to  sleep, 
not  knowing  at  what  moment  the  ship  might  turn 
turtle,  or  even  rend  apart,  and  plunge  with  them 
into  the  depths  of  the  sea. 

So  they  sat  up,  occasionally  attending  to  the 
machinery,  and  noting  the  various  gages.  Mr. 
Damon  made  hot  coffee,  which  they  drank  from 
time  to  time,  and  it  served  to  refresh  them. 

There  came  a  sudden  burst  of  fury  from  the 
storm,  and  the  airship  rocked  as  if  she  was  going 
over. 

"Bless  my  heart!"  cried  Mr.  Damon,  spring- 
ing up.  "That  was  a  close  call !" 

Tom  said  nothing.  Mr.  Fenwick  looked  pale 
and  alarmed. 

The  hours  passed.  They  were  swept  ever  on- 
ward, at  about  the  same  speed,  sometimes  being 
whirled  downward,  and  again  tossed  upward  at 


A  NIGHT  OF  TERROR  1Q1- 

the  will  of  the  wind.  The  airship  was  well-nigh 
helpless,  and  Tom,  as  he  realized  their  position, 
could  not  repress  a  fear  in  his  heart  as  he  thought 
of  the  parents  of  the  girl  he  loved  being  tossed 
about  on  the  swirling  ocean,  in  a  frail  pleasure 
racht 


CHAPTER  XII 

A   DOWNWARD   GLIDE 

THEY  sat  in  the  cabin  of  the  airship,  staring 
helplessly  at  each  other.  Occasionally  Tom  rose 
to  attend  to  one  of  the  machines,  or  Mr.  Fenwick 
did  the  same.  Occasionally,  Mr.  Damon  uttered 
a  remark.  Then  there  was  silence,  broken  only 
by  the  howl  of  the  gale. 

It  seemed  impossible  for  the  Whizzer  to  travel 
any  faster,  yet  when  Tom  glanced  at  the  speed 
gage  he  noted,  with  a  feeling  of  surprise,  akin 
to  horror,  that  they  were  making  close  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  an  hour.  Only  an  aero- 
plane could  have  done  it,  and  then  only  when 
urged  on  by  a  terrific  wind  which  added  to  the 
speed  produced  by  the  propellers. 

The  whole  craft  swayed  and  trembled,  partly 
from  the  vibration  of  the  electrical  machinery, 
and  partly  from  the  awful  wind.  Mr.  Fenwick 
came  close  to  Tom,  and  exclaimed: 

"Do  you  think  it  would  be  any  use  to  try  oace 
more  to  go  above  or  below  the  path  of  the  storm?" 

102 


A  DOWNWARD  GLIDE  103 

Tom's  first  impulse  was  to  say  that  it  would  be 
useless,  but  he  recollected  that  the  craft  belonged 
to  Fenwick,  and  surely  that  gentleman  had  a 
right  to  make  a  suggestion.  The  young  inventor 
sodded. 

"We'll  try  to  go  up,"  he  said.  "If  that  doesn't 
work,  I'll  see  if  I  can  force  her  down.  It  will  be 
hard  work,  though.  The  wind  is  too  stiff." 

Tom  shifted  the  levers  and  rudders.  His  eyes 
were  on  the  barograph — that  delicate  instrument, 
the  trembling  hand  of  which  registered  their 
height.  Tom  had  tilted  the  deflection  rudder  to 
send  them  up,  but  as  he  watched  the  needle  he 
saw  it  stationary.  They  were  not  ascending, 
though  the  great  airship  was  straining  to  mount 
to  an  upper  current  where  there  might  be  calm. 

It  was  useless,  however,  and  Tom,  seeing  the 
futility  of  it,  shifted  the  rudder  to  send  them 
downward.  This  was  more  easily  accomplished, 
but  it  was  a  change  for  the  worse,  since,  the 
nearer  to  the  ocean  they  went,  the  fiercer  blew 
the  wind. 

"Back !    Go  back  up  higher !"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 

"We  can't !"  yelled  Tom.  "We've  got  to  stay 
here  now !" 

"Oh,  but  this  is  awful!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Fen- 
wick.  "We  can  never  stand  this !" 

The  airship  swaged  more  than  ever,  and  the 


104     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

occupants  were  tossed  about  in  the  cabin,  from 
side  to  side.  Indeed,  it  did  seem  that  human  be- 
ings never  could  come  alive  out  of  that  fearful 
ordeal. 

As  Tom  looked  from  one  of  the  windows  of 
the  cabin,  he  noted  a  pale,  grayish  sort  of  light 
outside.  At  first  he  could  not  understand  what 
it  was,  then,  as  he  observed  the  sickly  gleams  of 
the  incandescent  electric  lamps,  he  knew  that  the 
hour  of  dawn  was  at  hand. 

"See !"  he  exclaimed  to  his  companions,  point- 
ing to  the  window.  "Morning  is  coming." 

"Morning !"  gasped  Mr.  Damon.  "Is  the  night 
over?  Now,  perhaps  we  shall  get  rid  of  the 
storm." 

"I'm  afraid  not,"  answered  Tom,  as  he  noted 
tlie  anemometer  and  felt  the  shudderings  of  the 
Whizzer  as  she  careened  on  through  the  gale. 
"It  hasn't  blown  out  yet !" 

The  pale  light  increased.  The  electrics  seemed 
to  dim  and  fade.  Tom  looked  to  the  engines. 
Some  of  the  apparatus  was  in  need  of  oil,  and 
he  supplied  it.  When  he  came  back  to  the  main 
cabin,  where  stood  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Fen- 
wick,  it  was  much  lighter  outside. 

"Less  than  a  day  since  we  left  Philadelphia," 
murmured  the  owner  of  the  Whizzer,  as  he 
glanced  at  a  distance  indicator,  "yet  we  have  come 


A  DOWNWARD  GLIDE  105 

nearly  sixteen  hundred  miles.  We  certainly  did 
travel  at  top  speed.  I  wonder  where  we  are?" 

"Still  over  the  ocean,"  replied  Mr.  Damon,  as 
he  looked  down  at  the  heaving  billows  rolling 
amid  crests  of  foam  far  below  them.  "Thougfr 
twhat  part  of  it  would  be  hard  to  say.  We'll  have 
to  reckon  out  our  position  when  it  gets  calmer." 

Tom  came  from  the  engine  room.  His  face 
wore  a  troubled  look,  and  he  said,  addressing  the 
older  inventor: 

"Mr.  Fenwick,  I  wish  you'd  come  and  look  at 
the  gas  generating  apparatus.  It  doesn't  seem  to 
be  working  properly." 

"Anything  wrong?"  asked  Mr.  Damon,  sus- 
piciously. 

"I  hope  not,"  replied  Tom,  with  all  the  confi- 
dence he  could  muster.  "It  may  need  adjusting. 
I  am  not  so  familiar  with  it  as  I  am  with  the 
one  on  the  Red  Cloud.  The  gas  seems  to  be 
escaping  from  the  bag,  and  we  may  have  to  de- 
scend for  some  distance." 

"But  the  aeroplanes  will  keep  us  up,  said  Mr. 
Damon. 

"Yes— they  will,"  and  Tom  hesitated.  "That 
is,  unless  something  happens  to  them.  They  are 
rather  frail  to  stand  alone  the  brunt  of  the  gale, 
and  I  wish " 

(Tom  did  not  complete  the  sentence.     Instead, 


106     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

he  paused  suddenly  and  seemed  to  be  intently 
listening. 

From  without  there  cams  a  rending,  tearing, 
crashing  sound  The  airship  quivered  from  end 
to  end,  and  seemed  to  make  a  sudden  dive  down- 
ward. Then  it  appeared  to  recover,  and  once 
more  glided  forward. 

Tom,  followed  by  Mr.  Fenwick,  made  a  rush 
for  the  compartment  where  the  machine  was  in- 
stalled. They  had  no  sooner  reached  it  than  there 
sounded  an  explosion,  and  the  airship  recoiled 
as  if  it  had  hit  a  stone  wall. 

"Bless  my  shaving  brush !  What's  that  ?"  cried 
Mr.  Damon.  "Has  anything  happened?" 

"I'm  rather  afraid  there  has,"  answered  Tom, 
solemnly.  "It  sounded  as  though  the  gas  bag 
went  up.  And  I'm  worried  over  the  strength 
of  the  planes.  We  must  make  an  investigation !" 

"We're  falling!"  almost  screamed  Mr.  Fen- 
wick,  as  he  glanced  at  the  barograph,  the  delicate 
needle  of  which  was  swinging  to  and  fro,  register- 
ing different  altitudes. 

"Bless  my  feather  bed !  So  we  are !"  shouted 
Mr.  Damon.  "Let's  jump,  and  avoid  being 
caught  under  the  airship !" 

He  darted  for  a  large  window,  opening  from 
the  main  cabin,  and  was  endeavoring  to  raise 
it  when  Tom  caught  his  hand. 


A  DOWNWARD  GLIDE  107 

"What  are  you  trying  to  do,"  asked  the  lad, 
hoarsely. 

"Save  my  life!  I  want  to  get  out  of  this  as 
$oon  as  I  can.  I'm  going  to  jump !" 

"Don't  think  of  it !  You'd  be  instantly  killed. 
We're  too  high  for  a  jump,  even  into  the  ocean." 

"The  ocean!  Oh,  is  that  still  below  us?  Is 
there  any  chance  of  being  saved?  What  can  be 
done  ?"  Mr.  Damon  hesitated. 

"We  must  first  find  out  how  badly  we  are 
damaged,"  said  Tom,  quietly.  "We  must  keep 
our  heads,  and  be  calm,  no  matter  what  happens. 
I  need  your  help,  Mr.  Damon." 

This  served  to  recall  the  rather  excited  man  to 
his  senses.  He  came  back  to  the  centre  of  the 
cabin,  which  was  no  easy  task,  for  the  floor  of 
it  was  tilted  at  first  one  angle,  and  then  another. 
He  stood  at  Tom's  side. 

"What  can  I  do  to  help  you?"  he  asked.  Mr. 
Fenwick  was  darting  here  and  there,  examining 
the  different  machines.  None  of  them  seemed  to 
be  damaged. 

"If  you  will  look  and  see  what  has  happened 
to  our  main  wing  planes,  I  will  see  how  much  gas 
we  have  left  in  the  bag,"  suggested  Tom.  "Then 
we  can  decide  what  is  best  to  be  done.  We  are 
still  quite  high,  and  it  will  take  some  time  to  com- 
glete  our  fall,  as,  even  if  everything  is  gone,  the 


io8    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE  ' 

material  of  the  bag  will  act  as  a  sort  of  para- 
chute." 

Mr.  Damon  darted  to  a  window  in  the  rear 
of  the  cabin,  where  he  could  obtain  a  glimpse  of 
the  main  wing  planes.  He  gave  a  cry  of  terror 
and  astonishment. 

"Two  of  the  planes  are  gone!"  he  reported. 
'They  are  torn  and  are  hanging  loose." 

"I  feared  as  much,"  retorted  Tom,  quietly. 
"The  gale  was  too  much  for  them." 

"What  of  the  lifting  gas?"  asked  Mr.  Fen- 
wick,  quickly. 

"It  has  nearly  all  flowed  out  of  the  retaining 
bag." 

"Then  we  must  make  more  at  once.  I  will 
start  the  generating  machine." 

He  darted  toward  it 

"It  will  be  useless,"  spoke  Tom,  quietly. 

"Why?" 

"Because  there  is  no  bag  left  to  hold  it.  The 
silk  and  rubber  envelope  has  been  torn  to  pieces 
by  the  gale.  The  wind  is  even  stronger  than  it 
was  last  night."  i 

"Then  what's  to  be  done  ?"  demanded  Mr.  Da- 
mon, with  a  return  of  his  alarmed  and  nervous 
manner.  "Bless  my  fingernails!  What's  to  be 
done?" 

For  an  instant  Tom  did  not  answer.     It  was 


A   DOWNWARD  GLIDE  109 

constantly  getting  lighter,  though  there  was  no 
sun,  for  it  was  obscured  by  scudding  clouds.  The 
young  inventor  looked  critically  at  the  various 
gages  and  indicators. 

"Is — is  there  any  chance  for  us?"  asked  Mr. 
Fen  wick,  quietly. 

"I  think  so,"  answered  Tom,  with  a  hopeful 
smile.  "We  have  about  two  thousand  feet  to  de- 
scend, for  we  have  fallen  nearly  that  distance 
since  the  accident." 

"Two  thousand  feet  to  fall!"  gasped  Mr.  Da- 
mon. "We  can  never  do  it  and  live !" 

"I  think  so,"  spoke  Tom. 

"Bless  my  gizzard  I  How  ?"  fairly  exploded 
Mr.  Damon. 

"By  vol-planing  down!" 

"But,  even  if  we  do,  we  will  fall  into  the 
ocean !"  cried  Mr.  Fenwick.  "We  will  be 
drowned!" 

"No,"  and  Tom  spoke  more  quietly  than  be- 
fore. "We  are  over  a  large  island,"  he  went  on, 
"and  I  propose  to  let  the  disabled  airship  vol- 
plane down  to  it.  That  is  our  only  chance." 

"Over  an  island!"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  He 
looked  down  through  the  floor  observation  win- 
dow. Tom  had  spoken  truly.  At  that  moment 
they  were  over  a  large  island,  which  had  suddenly 
loomed  up  in  the  wild  and  desolate  waste  of  the 


HO     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

ocean.  They  had  reached  its  vicinity  just  in 
time. 

Tom  stepped  to  the  steering  and  rudder  levers, 
and  took  charge.  He  was  going  to  attempt  a 
most  difficult  feat — that  of  guiding  a  disabled 
airship  back  to  earth  in  the  midst  of  a  hurricane, 
and  landing  her  on  an  unknown  island.  Could 
he  do  it  ? 

There  was  but  one  answer.  He  must  try.  It 
was  the  only  chance  of  saving  their  lives,  and 
a  slim  one  at  best. 

Down  shot  the  damaged  Whizzer  like  some 
giant  bird  with  broken  wings,  but  Tom  Swift 
was  in  charge,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  craft 
knew  it,  as  she  began  that  earthward  glide. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

ON    EARTHQUAKE   ISLAND 

MINGLED  feelings  possessed  the  three  adven- 
turers within  the  airship.  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr. 
Fenwick  had  crowded  to  the  window,  as  Tom 
spoke,  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  unknown  island  to- 
ward which  they  were  shooting.  They  could  see 
it  more  plainly  now,  from  the  forward  casement, 
as  well  as  from  the  one  in  the  bottom  of  the 
craft.  A  long,  narrow,  rugged  piece  of  land  it 
was,  in  the  midst  of  the  heaving  ocean,  for  the 
storm  still  raged  and  lashed  the  waves  to  foam. 

"Can  you  make  it?"  asked  Mr.  Damon,  in  a 
low  voice. 

"I  think  so,"  answered  Tom,  more  cheerfully. 

"Shall  I  shut  down  the  motor?"  inquired  the 
older  inventor. 

"Yes,  you  might  as  well.  We  don't  need  the 
propellers  now,  and  I  may  be  better  able  to  make 
the  glide  without  them." 

The  buzzing  and  purring  electrical  apparatus 


112     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

•was  shut  down.  Silence  reigned  in  the  airship, 
but  the  wind  still  howled  outside.  As  Tom  had 
hoped,  the  ship  became  a  little  more  steady  with 
the  stopping  of  the  big  curved  blades,  though  had 
the  craft  been  undamaged  they  would  have  served 
to  keep  her  on  an  even  keel. 

With  skillful  hand  he  so  tilted  the  elevating 
planes  that,  after  a  swift  downward  glide,  the 
head  of  the  Whizzer  would  be  thrown  up,  so  to 
speak,  and  she  would  sail  along  in  a  plane  parallel 
to  the  island.  This  had  the  effect  of  checking 
her  momentum,  just  as  the  aviator  checks  the 
downward  rush  of  his  monoplane  or  biplane  when 
he  is  making  a  landing. 

Tom  repeated  this  maneuver  several  times, 
until  a  glance  at  his  barograph  showed  that  they 
had  but  a  scant  sixty  feet  to  go.  There  was  time 
Uiit  for  one  more  upward  throwing  of  the  Whiz- 
zer's  nose,  and  Tom  held  to  that  position  as  long 
as  possible.  They  could  now  make  out  the  topog- 
raphy of  the  island  plainly,  for  it  was  much 
lighter.  Tom  saw  a  stretch  of  sandy  beach,  and 
steered  for  that. 

Downward  shot  the  airship,  inert  and  lifeless. 
It  was  not  like  guiding  his  little  Butterfly  to  earth 
after  a  flight,  but  Tom  hoped  he  could  make  it. 
They  were  now  within  ten  feet  of  the  earth,  skim- 
ming forward.  Tom  tried  another  upward  tilt, 


ON  EARTHQUAKE  ISLAND  113 

but  the  forward  planes  would  not  respond.  They 
could  get  no  grip  on  the  air. 

With  a  crash  that  could  have  been  heard  some 
distance  the  Whizzer  settled  to  the  sand.  It  ran 
along  a  slight  distance,  and  then,  as  the  bicycle 
wheels  collapsed  under  the  pressure,  the  airship 
seemed  to  go  together  in  a  shapeless  mass. 

At  the  first  impact  with  the  earth,  Tom  had 
leaped  away  from  the  steering  wheel  and  levers, 
for  he  did  not  want  to  be  crushed  against  them. 
Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Fenwick,  in  pursuance  of 
a  plan  adopted  when  they  found  that  they  were 
falling,  had  piled  a  lot  of  seat  cushions  around 
them.  They  had  also  provided  some  as  buffers 
for  Tom,  and  our  hero,  at  the  instant  of  the 
crash,  had  thrown  himself  t>ehm&  and  upon  them. 

It  seemed  as  if  the  whole  ship  went  to  pieces. 
The  top  of  the  main  cabin  crashed  down,  as  the 
side  supports  gave  way,  but,  fortunately,  there 
were  strong  main  braces,  and  the  roof  did  not 
fall  completely  upon  our  friends. 

The  whole  bottom  of  the  craft  was  forced  up- 
ward, and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  protecting 
cushions,  there  might  have  been  serious  injuries 
Itw  all  concerned.  As  it  was  they  were  badly 
bruised  and  shaken  up. 

After  the  first  crash,  and  succeeding  it  an  in- 
stant later,  there  came  a  second  smash,  followed 


U4     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

by  a  slight  explosion,  and  a  shower  of  sparks 
could  be  seen  in  the  engine  room. 

"That's  the  electrical  apparatus  smashing 
through  the  floor!"  called  Tom.  "Come,  let's 
get  out  of  here  before  the  gasolene  sets  anything 
on  fire.  Are  you  all  right,  Mr.  Damon,  and  you, 
Mr.  Fenwick?" 

"Yes,  I  guess  so,"  answered  the  inventor.  "Oh, 
what  a  terrible  crash !  My  airship  is  ruined !" 

"You  may  be  glad  we  are  alive,"  said  Mr.  Da- 
mon. "Bless  my  top  knot,  I  feel " 

He  did  not  finish  the  sentence.  At  that  moment 
a  piece  of  wood,  broken  from  the  ceiling,  where 
it  had  hung  by  a  strip  of  canvas  came  crashing 
down,  and  hit  Mr.  Damon  on  the  head. 

The  eccentric  man  toppled  over  on  his  pile  of 
cushions,  from  which  he  was  arising  when  he 
was  struck. 

"Oh,  is  he  killed?"  gasped  Mr.  Fenwick. 

"I  hope  not !"  cried  Tom.  "We  must  get  him 
out  of  here,  at  all  events.  There  may  be  a  fire." 

They  both  sprang  to  Mr.  Damon's  aid,  and 
succeeded  in  lifting  him  out.  There  was  no  diffi- 
culty in  emerging  from  the  airship  as  there  were 
big,  broken  gaps,  on  all  sides  of  what  was  left 
of  the  cabin.  Once  in  the  outer  air  Mr.  Damon 
revived,  and  opened  his  eyes. 


ON  EARTHQUAKE  ISLAND  115 

"Much  hurt?"  asked  Tom,  feeling  of  hi3 
friend's  head. 

"No — no,  I — I  guess  not,"  was  the  slow  an- 
swer. "I  was  stunned  for  a  moment.  I'm  all 
right  now.  Nothing  broken,  I  guess,"  and  his 
hand  went  to  his  head. 

"No,  nothing  broken,"  added  Tom,  cheerfully, 
"but  you've  got  a  lump  there  as  big  as  an  ostrich 
egg.  Can  you  walk?" 

"Oh,  I'm  all  right.  Bless  my  stars,  what  a 
wreck !" 

Mr.  Damon  looked  at  the  remains  of  the  air- 
ship. It  certainly  was  a  wreck!  The  bent  and 
twisted  planes  were  wrapped  about  the  afterpart, 
the  gas  bag  was  but  a  shred,  the  frame  was  splin- 
tered and  twisted,  and  the  under  part,  where  the 
starting  wheels  were  placed,  resembled  a  lot  of 
broken  bicycles.  The  cabin  looked  like  a  shack 
that  had  sustained  an  explosion  of  dynamite. 

"It's  a  wonder  we  came  out  alive,"  said  Mr. 
Fenwick,  in  a  low  voice. 

"Indeed  it  is,"  agreed  Tom,  as  he  came  back 
with  a  tin  can  full  of  sea  water,  with  which  to 
bathe  Mr.  Damon's  head.  The  lad  had  picked 
up  the  can  from  where  it  had  rolled  from  the 
wreck,  and  they  had  landed  right  on  the  beach. 

"It  doesn't  seem  to  blow  so  hard,"  observed 


1 16    TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Mr.  Damon,  as  he  was  tenderly  sopping  his  head 
with  a  handkerchief  wet  in  the  salt  water. 

"No,  the  wind  is  dying  out,  but  it  happened 
too  late  to  do  us  any  good,"  remarked  Tom,  sor- 
rowfully. "Though  if  it  hadn't  blown  us  this 
far,  we  might  have  come  to  grief  over  the  ocean, 
and  be  floundering  in  that,  instead  of  on  dry 
land." 

"That's  so,"  agreed  Mr.  Fenwick,  who  was 
carefully  feeling  of  some  bruises  on  his  legs.  "I 
wonder  where  we  are,  anyhow?" 

"I  haven't  the  least  idea,"  responded  Tom. 
"It's  an  island,  but  which  one,  or  where  it  is  I 
don't  know.  We  were  blown  nearly  two  thousand 
miles,  I  judge." 

He  walked  over  and  surveyed  the  wreck.  Now 
that  the  excitement  was  over  he  was  beginning 
to  be  aware  of  numerous  bruises  and  contusions. 
His  legs  felt  rather  queer,  and  on  rolling  up  his 
trousers  he  found  there  was  a  deep  cut  in  the 
right  shin,  just  below  his  knee.  It  was  bleeding, 
but  he  bandaged  it  with  a  spare  handkerchief, 
and  walked  on. 

Peering  about,  he  saw  that  nearly  the  whole  of 
the  machinery  in  the  engine  room,  including  most 
of  the  electrical  apparatus,  had  fallen  bodily 
through  the  floor,  and  now  rested  on  the  sand. 

"That  looks  to  be  in  pretty  good  shape."  mused 


ON  EARTHQUAKE  ISLAND  117 

Tom,  "but  it's  a  question  whether  it  will  ever  be 
any  good  to  us.  We  can't  rebuild  the  airship 
here,  that's  certain." 

He  walked  about  the  wreck,  and  then  returned 
to  his  friends.  Mr.  Damon  was  more  like  him- 
self, and  Mr.  Fenwick  had  discovered  that  he 
had  only  minor  bruises. 

"Bless  my  coffee  cup!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon. 
"I  declare,  I  feel  hungry.  I  wonder  if  there's 
anything  left  to  eat  in  the  wreck?" 

"Plenty,"  spoke  Tom,  cheerfully.  "I'll  get  it 
out.  I  can  eat  a  sandwich  or  too  myself,  and  per- 
haps I  can  set  up  the  gasolene  stove,  and  cook 
something1." 

As  the  young  inventor  was  returning  to  the 
wreck,  he  was  halted  halfway  by  a  curious 
trembling  feeling.  At  first  he  thought  it  was  a 
weakness  of  his  legs,  caused  by  his  cut,  but  a 
moment  later  he  realized  with  a  curious,  sicken- 
ing sensation  that  it  was  the  ground — the  island 
itself — that  was  shaking  and  trembling. 

The  lad  turned  back.  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr. 
Fenwick  were  staring  after  him  with  fear  show- 
ing on  their  faces. 

"What  was  that?"  cried  the  inventor. 

"Bless  my  gizzard!  Did  you  feel  that,  Tom?" 
cried  Mr.  Damon.  "The  whole  place  is  shaking !" 

Indeed,  there  was  a  stronger  tremor  now,  and 


Il8     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

it  was  accompanied  by  a  low,  rumbling  sound, 
like  distant  thunder.  The  adventurers  were  sway- 
ing to  and  fro. 

Suddenly  they  were  tossed  to  the  ground  by  a 
swaying  motion,  and  not  far  off  a  great  crack 
opened  in  the  earth.  The  roaring,  rumbling 
sound  increased  in  volume. 

"An  earthquake!  Ifs  an  earthquake!"  cried 
Tom.  "We're  in  the  midst  of  an  earthquake !" 


CHAPTER  XIV 

A   NIGHT   IN    CAMP 

THE  rumbling  and  roaring  continued  for  per- 
haps two  minutes,  during  which  time  the  cast- 
aways found  it  impossible  to  stand,  for  the  island 
was  shaking  under  their  feet  with  a  sickening  mo- 
tion. Off  to  one  side  there  was  a  great  fissure 
in  the  earth,  and,  frightened  as  he  was,  Tom 
looked  to  see  if  it  was  extending  in  their  direction. 

If  it  was,  or  if  a  crack  opened  near  them,  they 
might  be  precipitated  into  some  bottomless  abyss, 
or  into  the  depths  of  the  sea.  But  the  fissure  did 
not  increase  in  length  or  breadth,  and,  presently 
the  rumbling,  roaring  sound  subsided.  The  island 
grew  quiet  and  the  airship  travelers  rose  to  their 
feet. 

"Bless  my  very  existence!  What  happened?" 
:ried  Mr.  Damon. 

"It  was  an  earthquake;  wasn't  it,  Tom?"  asked 
Mr.  Fenwick. 

"It  sure  was,"  agreed  the  yourur  inventor. 
119 


120     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"Rather  a  hard  one,  too.  I  hope  we  don't  have 
any  more." 

"Do  you  think  there  is  any  likelihood  of  it?" 
demanded  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless  my  pocketbook! 
If  I  thought  so  I'd  leave  at  once." 

"Where  would  you  go  ?"  inquired  Tom,  looking 
out  across  the  tumbling  ocean,  which  had  hardly 
had  a  chance  to  subside  from  the  gale,  ere  it  was 
again  set  in  a  turmoil  by  the  earth-tremor. 

"That's  so — there  isn't  a  place  to  escape  to," 
went  on  the  eccentric  man,  with  something  like 
a  groan.  "We  are  in  a  bad  place — do  you  think 
there'll  be  more  quakes,  Tom  ?" 

"It's  hard  to  say.  I  don't  know  where  we  are, 
and  this  island  may  be  something  like  Japan,  sub- 
ject to  quakes,  or  it  may  be  that  this  one  is  merely 
a  spasmodic  tremor.  Perhaps  the  great  storm 
which  brought  us  here  was  part  of  the  disturbance 
of  nature  which  ended  up  with  the  earthquake. 
We  may  have  no  more." 

"And  there  may  be  one  at  any  time,"  added  Mr. 
Fenwick. 

"Yes,"  assented  Tom. 

"Then  let's  get  ready  for  it,"  proposed  Mr.  Da- 
mon. "Let's  take  all  the  precautions  possible." 

"There  aren't  any  to  take,"  declared  Tom. 
"All  we  can  do  is  to  wait  until  the  shocks  come — 


A  NIGHT  IN  CAMP  121 

V 

if  any  more  do  come,  which  I  hope  won't  happen, 
and  then  we  must  do  the  best  we  can." 

"Oh,  dear  me!  Bless  my  fingernails!"  cried 
Mr.  Damon,  wringing  his  hands.  "This  is  worse 
than  falling  in  an  airship !  There  you  do  have 
some  chance.  Here  you  haven't  any." 

"Oh,  it  may  not  be  so  bad,"  Tom  cried  to  re- 
assure him.  "This  may  have  been  the  first  shock 
in  a  hundred  years,  and  there  may  never  be  an- 
other." 

But,  as  he  looked  around  on  the  island,  he 
noted  evidences  that  it  was  of  volcanic  origin, 
and  his  heart  misgave  him,  for  he  knew  that  such 
islands,  created  suddenly*  by  a  submarine  up- 
heaval, might  just  as  suddenly  be  destroyed  by  an 
earthquake,  or  by  sinking  into  the  ocean.  It  was 
not  a  pleasant  thought — it  was  like  living  over  a 
mine,  that  might  explode  at  any  moment.  But 
there  was  no  help  for  it. 

Tom  tried  to  assume  a  cheerfulness  he  did  not 
feel.  He  realized  that,  in  spite  of  his  youth,  both 
Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Fenwick  rather  depended 
on  him,  for  Tom  was  a  lad  of  no  ordinary  at- 
tainments, and  had  a  fund  of  scientific  knowledge. 
He  resolved  to  do  his  best  to  avoid  making  his 
two  companions  worry. 

"Let's  get  it  off  our  minds,"  suggested  the  lad, 
after  a  while.  "We  were  going  to  get  something 


122     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

to  eat.  Suppose  we  carry  out  that  program.  My 
appetite  wasn't  spoiled  by  the  shock." 

"I  declare  mine  wasn't  either,"  said  Mr.  Da- 
mon, "but  I  can't  forget  it  easily.  It's  the  first 
earthquake  I  was  ever  in." 

He  watched  Tom  as  the  latter  advanced  once 
more  toward  the  wreck  of  the  airship,  and  noticed 
that  the  lad  limped,  for  his  right  leg  had  been 
cut  when  the  Whizzer  had  fallen  to  to  earth. 

"What's  the  matter,  Tom ;  were  you  hurt  in  th& 
quake?"  asked  the  eccentric  man. 

"No — no,"  Tom  hastened  to  assure  him.  "I 
just  got  a  bump  in  the  fall — that's  all.  It  isn't 
anything.  If  you  and  Mr.  Fenwick  want  to  get 
out  some  food  from  the  wrecked  store  room  I'll 
see  if  I  can  haul  out  the  gasolene  stove  from 
the  airship.  Perhaps  we  can  use  it  to  make  some 
coffee." 

By  delving  in  about  the  wreck,  Tom  was  able 
to  get  out  the  gasolene  stove.  It  was  broken, 
but  two  of  the  five  burners  were  in  commission, 
and  could  be  used.  Water,  and  gasolene  for  use 
in  the  airship,  was  carried  in  steel  tanks.  Some 
of  these  had  been  split  open  by  the  crash,  but 
there  was  one  cask  of  water  left,  and  three  of 
gasolene,  insuring  plenty  of  the  liquid  fuel.  As 
for  the  water,  Tom  hoped  to  be  able  to  find  a 
spring  on  the  island. 


A  NIGHT  IN  CAMP  123 

In  the  meanwhile,  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Fen- 
wick  had  been  investigating  the  contents  of  the 
storeroom.  There  was  a  large  supply  of  food, 
much  larger  than  would  have  been  needed,  even 
on  a  two  weeks'  trip  in  the  air,  and  the  inventor 
of  the  Whizzer  hardly  knew  why  he  had  put  so 
much  aboard. 

"But  if  we  have  to  stay  here  long,  it  may  come 
in  handy,"  observed  Tom,  with  a  grim  smile. 

"Why;  do  you  think  we  will  be  here  long?" 
asked  Mr.  Damon. 

The  young  inventor  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"There  is  no  telling,'  'he  said.  "If  a  passing 
steamer  happens  to  see  us,  we  may  be  taken  off 
to-day  or  to-morrow.  If  not  we  may  be  here 

a  week,  or "  Tom  did  not  finish.  He  stood 

in  a  listening  attitude. 

There  was  a  rumbling  sound,  and  the  earth 
seemed  again  to  tremble.  Then  there  came  a 
great  splash  in  the  water  at  the  foot  of  a  tall, 
rugged  cliff  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  A 
great  piece  of  the  precipice  had  fallen  into  the 
ocean. 

"I  thought  that  was  another  earthquake  com- 
ing," said  Mr.  Damon,  with  an  air  of  relief. 

"So  did  I,"  admitted  Mr.  Fenwick. 

"It  was  probably  loosened  by  the  shock,  and 
so  fell  into  the  sea,"  spoke  Tom. 


124     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Their  momentary  fright  over,  the  castaways 
proceeded  to  get  their  breakfast.  Tom  soon  had 
water  boiling  on  the  gasolene  stove,  for  he  had 
rescued  a  tea-kettle  and  a  coffee  pot  from  the 
wreck  of  the  kitchen  of  the  airship.  Shortly  after- 
ward, the  aroma  of  coffee  filled  the  air,  and  a 
little  later  there  was  mingled  with  it  the  appetiz- 
ing  odor  of  sizzling  bacon  and  eggs,  for  Mr.  Fen- 
wick,  who  was  very  fond  of  the  latter,  had 
brought  along  a  supply,  carefully  packed  in  saw- 
dust carriers,  so  that  the  shock  had  broken  only 
a  few  of  them. 

"Well,  I  call  this  a  fine  breakfast,"  exclaimed 
Mr.  Damon,  munching  his  bacon  and  eggs,  and 
dipping  into  his  coffee  the  hard  pilot  biscuit,  which 
they  had  instead  of  bread.  "We're  mighty  lucky 
to  be  eating  at  all,  I  suppose." 

"Indeed  we  are,"  chimed  in  Mr.  Fenwick. 

"I'm  awfully  sorry  the  airship  is  wrecked, 
though,"  spoke  Tom.  "I  suppose  it's  my  fault 
I  should  have  turned  back  before  we  got  over  the 
ocean,  and  while  the  storm  was  not  at  its  height. 
I  saw  that  the  wind  was  freshening,  but  I  never 
supposed  it  would  grow  to  a  gale  so  suddenly. 
The  poor  old  Whizzer — there's  not  much  left  of 
her!" 

"Now  don't  distress  yourself  in  the  least,"  in- 
sisted Mr.  Fenwick.  "I'm  proud  to  have  built 


A  NIGHT  IN  CAMP  12$ 

a  ship  that  could  navigate  at  all.  I  see  where 
I  made  lots  of  mistakes,  and  as  soon  as  I  get 
back  to  Philadelphia,  I'm  going  to  build  a  better 
one,  if  you'll  help  me,  Tom  Swift." 

"I  certainly  will,"  promised  the  young  inventor, 

"And  I'll  take  a  voyage  with  you!'  cried  Mr. 
Damon.  "Bless  my  teaspoon,  Tom,  but  will  you 
kindly  pass  the  bacon  and  eggs  again !" 

There  was  a  jolly  laugh  at  the  eccentric  man, 
in  which  he  himself  joined,  and  the  little  party 
felt  better.  They  were  seated  on  bits  of  broken 
boxes  taken  from  the  wreck,  forming  a  little 
circle  about  the  gasolene  stove,  which  Tom  had 
set  up  on  the  beach.  The  wind  had  almost  en- 
tirely died  away,  though  the  sea  was  still  heaving 
in  great  billows,  and  masses  of  suri 

They  had  no  exact  idea  of  the  time,  for  all  their 
watches  had  stopped  when  the  shock  of  the  wreck 
came,  but  presently  the  sun  peeped  out  from  the 
clouds,  and,  from  knowing  the  time  when  they 
had  begun  to  fall,  they  judged  it  was  about  ten 
o'clock,  and  accordingly  set  their  timepieces. 

"Well,"  observed  Tom,  as  he  collected  the 
dishes,  which  they  had  also  secured  from  the 
wreck,  "we  must  begin  to  think  about  a  place 
to  spend  the  night.  I  think  we  can  rig  up  a 
shelter  from  some  of  the  canvas  of  the  wing- 
planes,  and  from  what  is  left  of  the  cabin.  It 


126     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

doesn't  need  to  be  very  heavy,  for  from  the 
warmth  of  the  atmosphere,  I  should  say  we  were 
pretty  well  south." 

It  was  quite  warm,  now  that  the  storm  was 
over,  and,  as  they  looked  at  the  vegetation  of  the 
island,  they  saw  that  it  was  almost  wholly  trop- 
ical. 

"I  shouldn't  be  surprised  if  we  were  on  one  of 
the  smaller  of  the  West  Indian  islands,"  said 
Tom.  "We  certainly  came  far  enough,  flying 
a  hundred  miles  or  more  an  hour,  to  have  reached 
them.  But  this  one  doesn't  appear  to  be  in- 
habited." 

"We  haven't  been  all  over  it  yet,"  said  Mr. 
Damon.  "We  may  find  cannibals  on  the  other 
side." 

"Cannibals  don't  live  in  this  part  of  the  world," 
Tom  assured  him.  "No,  I  think  this  island  is 
practically  unknown.  The  storm  brought  us  here, 
and  it  might  have  landed  us  in  a  worse  place." 

As  he  spoke  he  thought  of  the  yacht  Resolute, 
and  he  wondered  how  her  passengers,  including 
the  parents  of  Mary  Nestor,  had  fared  during 
the  terrible  blow. 

"I  hope  they  weren't  wrecked,  as  we  were," 
mused  Tom. 

But  there  was  little  time  for  idle  thoughts. 
If  they  were  going  to  build  a  shelter,  they  knew 


A  NIGHT  IN  CAMP  127 

that  they  must  speedily  get  at  it.  Accordingly, 
with  a  feeling  of  thankfulness  that  their  lives 
had  been  spared,  they  set  to  work  taking  apart 
such  of  the  wreck  as  could  the  more  easily  be 
got  at. 

Boards,  sticks,  and  planks  were  scattered  about, 
and,  with  the  pieces  of  canvas  from  the  wing- 
planes,  and  some  spare  material  which  was  car- 
ried on  board,  they  soon  had  a  fairly  good  shack, 
which  would  be  protection  enough  in  that  warm 
climate. 

Next  they  got  out  the  food  and  supplies,  their 
spare  clothing  and  other  belongings,  few  of  which 
had  been  harmed  in  the  fall  from  the  clouds, 
These  things  were  piled  under  another  rude  shel- 
ter which  they  constructed. 

By  this  time  it  was  three  o'clock,  and  they  ate 
again.  Then  they  prepared  to  spend  the  night 
in  their  hastily  made  camp.  They  collected  drift- 
wood, with  which  to  make  a  fire,  and,  after  sup- 
per, which  was  prepared  on  the  gasolene  stove, 
they  sat  about  the  cheerful  blaze,  discussing  their 
adventures. 

"To-morrow  we  will  explore  the  island,"  said 
Tom,  as  he  rolled  himself  up  in  his  blankets  and 
turned  over  to  sleep.  The  others  followed  his 
example,  for  it  was  decided  that  no  watch  need 


128     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

be  kept.  Thus  passed  several  hours  in  compara- 
tive quiet. 

It  must  have  been  about  midnight  that  Tom 
was  suddenly  awakened  by  a  feeling  as  if  some 
One  was  shaking  him.  He  sat  up  quickly  and 
called  out : 

"What's  the  matter?" 

"Eh?  What's  that?  Bless  my  soul!  What's 
going  on?"  shouted  Mr.  Damon. 

"Did  you  shake  me?"  inquired  Tom. 

"I?    No.     What ?" 

Then  they  realized  that  another  earth-tremor 
was  making  the  whole  island  tremble. 

Tom  leaped  from  his  blankets,  followed  by 
Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Fenwick,  and  rushed  out- 
side the  shack.  They  felt  the  earth  shaking,  but 
it  was  over  in  a  few  seconds.  The  shock  was  a 
slight  one,  nothing  like  as  severe  as  the  one  in 
the  morning.  But  it  set  their  nerves  on  edge. 

"Another  earthquake!"  groaned  Mr.  Damon. 
"How  often  are  we  to  have  them?" 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Tom,  soberly. 

They  passed  the  remainder  of  the  night  sleep- 
ing in  blankets  on  the  warm  sands,  near  the  fire, 
for  they  feared  lest  a  shock  might  bring  the  shack 
down  about  their  heads.  However,  the  night 
passed  with  no  more  terrors. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE    OTHER    CASTAWAYS 

"WELL,  we're  all  alive,  at  any  rate,"  announced 
Tom,  when  the  bright  sun,  shining  into  his  eyes, 
had  awakened  him.  He  sat  up,  tossed  aside  his 
blankets,  and  stood  up.  The  day  was  a  fine  one, 
and  the  violence  of  the  sea  had  greatly  subsided 
during  the  night,  their  shack  had  suffered  not  at 
all  from  the  slight  shock  in  the  darkness. 

"Now  for  a  dip  in  old  Briney,"  the  lad  added, 
as  he  walked  down  to  the  surf.  "I  think  it  will 
make  me  feel  better." 

"I'm  with  you,"  added  Mr.  Fenwick,  and  Mr. 
Damon  also  joined  the  bathers.  They  came  up 
from  the  waves,  tingling  with  health,  and  their 
bruises  and  bumps,  including  Tom's  cut  leg,  felt 
much  better. 

"You  did  get  quite  a  gash;  didn't  you,"  ob 
served  Mr.  Fenwick,  as  he  noticed  Tom's  leg. 
"Better  put  something  on  it.  I  have  antiseptic 
dressings  and  bandages  in  the  airship,  if  we  can 
find  them." 


130     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"I'll  look  for  them,  after  breakfast,"  Tom 
promised,  and  following  a  fairly  substantial  meal, 
considering  the  exigencies  under  which  it  was 
^prepared,  he  got  out  the  medicine  chest,  of  which 
part  remained  in  the  wreck  of  the  Whizzer,  and 
dressed  his  wound.  He  felt  much  better  after 
that. 

"Well,  what's  our  program  for  to-day?"  Mr. 
Damon  wanted  to  know,  as  they  sat  about,  after 
they  had  washed  up  what  few  dishes  they  used. 

"Let's  make  a  better  house  to  stay  in,"  pnx 
posed  Mr.  Fen  wick.  "We  may  have  to  remain 
here  for  some  time,  and  I'd  like  a  more  substantial 
residence." 

"I  think  the  one  we  now  have  will  do,"  sug- 
gested Tom.  "I  was  going  to  propose  making  it 
even  less  substantial." 

"Why  so?" 

"Because,  in  the  event  of  an  earthquake,  while 
we  are  sleeping  in  it,  we  will  not  be  injured. 
Made  of  light  pieces  of  wood  and  canvas  it  can't 
harm  us  very  much  if  it  falls  on  us." 

"That's  right,"  agreed  Mr.  Damon.  "In  earth- 
quake countries  all  the  houses  are  low,  and  built 
of  light  materials." 

"Ha!  So  I  recollect  now,"  spoke  Mr.  Fen- 
wick.  "I  used  to  read  that  in  my  geography,  but 


THE  OTHER  CASTAWAYS  131 

I  never  thought  it  would  apply  to  me.  But  do 
you  think  we  will  be  subject  to  the  quakes?" 

"I'm  afraid  so,"  was  Tom's  reply.  "We've  had 
two,  now,  within  a  short  time,  and  there  is  no' 
way  of  telling  when  the  next  will  come.  We  will 
hope  there  won't  be  any  more,  but " 

He  did  not  finish  his  sentence,  but  the  others 
knew  what  he  meant.  Thereupon  they  fell  to 
work,  and  soon  had  made  a  shelter  that,  while 
very  light  and  frail,  would  afford  them  all  the 
protection  needed  in  that  mild  climate,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  there  would  be  no  danger  should 
an  earthquake  collapse  it,  and  bring  it  down 
about  their  heads  while  they  were  sleeping  in  it 

For  they  decided  that  they  needed  some  shelter 
from  the  night  dews,  as  it  was  exceedingly  un- 
comfortable to  rest  on  the  sands  even  wrapped 
in  blankets,  and  with  a  driftwood  fire  burning 
nearby. 

It  was  noon  when  they  had  their  shack  rebuilt 
to  their  liking,  and  they  stopped  for  dinner. 
There  was  quite  a  variety  of  stores  in  the  air- 
ship, enough  for  a  much  larger  party  than  that 
of  our  three  friends,  and  they  varied  their  meals 
as  much  as  possible.  Of  course  all  the  stuff  they 
had  was  canned,  though  there  were  some  salted 
and  smoked  meats.  But  canned  food  can  be  had 


I32     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

in  a  variety  of  forms  now-a-days,  so  the  cast- 
aways did  not  lack  much. 

"What  do  you  say  to  an  exploring  expedition 
this  afternoon?"  asked  Tom,  as  they  sat  about 
after  dinner.  "We  ought  to  find  out  what  kind  of 
an  island  we're  on." 

"I  agree  with  you,"  carne  from  Mr.  Fenwick. 
"Perhaps  on  the  other  side  we  will  stand  a  much 
better  chance  of  speaking  some  passing  vessel. 
I  have  been  watching  the  horizon  for  some  time, 
now,  but  I  haven't  seen  the  sign  of  a  ship." 

"All  ^ight,  then  we'll  explore,  and  see  what 
sort  of  dn  island  we  have  taken  possession  of," 
went  on  Tom. 

"And  see  if  it  isn't  already  in  possession  of 
natives — or  cannibals,"  suggested  Mr.  Damon, 
"Bless  my  frying  pan!  but  I  should  hate  to  be 
captured  by  cannibals  at  my  time  of  life." 

"Don't  worry;  there  are  none  here,"  Tom  as- 
sured him  again. 

They  set  out  on  their  journey  around  the 
island.  They  agreed  that  it  would  be  best  to  fol- 
low the  beach  around,  as  it  was  easier  walking 
that  way,  since  the  interior  of  the  place  consisted 
of  rugged  rocks  in  a  sort  of  miniature  moun- 
tain chain. 

"We  will  make  a  circuit  of  the  place,"  proposed 
Tom,  "and  then,  if  we  can  discover  nothing,  we'll 


THE  OTHER  CASTAWAYS  133 

go  inland.  The  centre  of  the  island  is  quite  high, 
and  we  ought  to  be  able  to  see  in  any  direction 
for  a  great  distance  from  the  topmost  peak.  We 
may  be  able  to  signal  a  vessel." 
1  "I  hope  so!"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  "I  want  to 
send  word  home  that  I  am  all  right.  My  wife 
will  worry  when  she  learns  that  the  airship,  in 
which  I  set  out,  has  disappeared." 

"I  fancy  we  all  would  like  to  send  word  home," 
added  Mr.  Fenwick.  "My  wife  never  wanted  me 
to  build  this  airship,  and,  now  that  I  have  sailed 
in  it,  and  have  been  wrecked,  I  know  she'll  say 
'I  told  you  so,'  as  soon  as  I  get  back  to  Phila- 
delphia." 

Tom  said  nothing,  but  he  thought  to  himself 
that  it  might  be  some  time  before  Mrs.  Fenwick 
would  have  a  chance  to  utter  those  significant 
words  to  her  husband. 

Following  the  beach  line,  they  walked  for 
several  miles.  The  island  was  larger  than  they 
had  supposed,  and  it  soon  became  evident  that 
it  would  take  at  least  a  day  to  get  all  around  it. 

"In  which  case  we  will  need  some  lunch  with 
us,"  said  Tom.  "I  think  the  best  thing  we  can 
do  now  is  to  return  to  camp,  and  get  ready  for 
a  longer  expedition  to-morrow." 

Mr.  Fenwick  was  of  the  same  mind,  but  Mr. 
Damon  called  out: 


134 


TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 


"Let's  go  just  beyond  that  cliff,  and  see  what 
sort  of  a  view  is  to  be  had  from  there.  Then 
we'll  turn  back." 

To  oblige  him  they  followed.  They  had  not 
gone  more  than  a  hundred  yards  toward  the  cliff, 
than  there  came  the  preliminary  rumbling  and 
roaring  that  they  had  come  to  associate  with  an 
earthquake.  At  the  same  time,  the  ground  began 
to  shiver  and  shake. 

"Here  comes  another  one !"  cried  Tom,  reeling 
about.  He  saw  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Fenwick 
topple  to  the  beach.  The  roaring  increased,  and 
the  rumbling  was  like  thunder,  close  at  hand.  The 
island  seemed  to  rock  to  its  very  centre. 

Suddenly  the  whole  cliff  toward  which  they 
had  been  walking,  appeared  to  shake  itself  loose. 
In  another  instant  it  was  flung  outward  and  into 
the  sea,  a  great  mass  of  rock  and  stone. 

The  island  ceased  trembling,  and  the  roaring 
stopped.  Tom  rose  to  his  feet,  followed  by  his 
companions.  He  looked  toward  the  place  where 
the  cliff  had  been.  Its  removal  by  the  earthquake 
gave  them  a  view  of  a  part  of  the  beach  that  had 
hitherto  been  hidden  from  them. 

And  what  Tom  saw  caused  him  to  cry  out  in 
astonishment.  For  he  beheld,  gathered  around 
a  little  fire  on  the  sand,  a  party  of  men  and 
women.  Some  were  standing,  clinging  to  one 


THE  OTHER  CASTAWAYS  135 

another  in  terror.  Some  were  prostrate  on  the 
ground.  Others  were  running  to  and  fro  in  be- 
wilderment. 

"More  castaways!"  cried  Tom.  "More  cast- 
aways," and,  he  added  under  his  breath,  "more 
unfortunates  on  earthquake  island !" 


CHAPTER  XVI 

AN    ALARMING   THEORY 

FOR  a  few  seconds,  following  Tom's  announce- 
ment to  his  two  companions,  neither  Mr,  Damon 
nor  Mr.  Fenwick  spoke.  They  had  arisen  from 
the  beach,  where  the  shock  of  the  earthquake  had 
thrown  them,  and  were  now  staring  toward  the 
other  band  of  castaways,  who,  in  turn  were  gaz- 
ing toward  our  three  friends.  There  was  a  vio- 
lent agitation  in  the  sea,  caused  by  the  fall  of  the 
great  cliff,  and  immense  waves  rushed  up  on 
shore,  but  all  the  islanders  were  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  rollers. 

"Is  it — do  I  really — am  I  dreaming  or  not?"  at 
length  gasped  Mr.  Damon. 

"Is  this  a  mirage,  or  do  we  really  see  people, 
Tom?"  inquired  Mr.  Fenwick. 

"They  are  real  enough  people,"  replied  the  lad. 
himself,  somewhat  dazed  by  the  unexpected  aj> 
pearance  of  the  other  castaways. 

"But  how — why — how   did  they  get  here?" 
went  on  the  inventor  of  the  Whizser. 
126 


AN  ALARMING  THEORY  137 

"As  /ong  as  they're  not  cannibals,  we're  all 
right,"  murmured  Mr.  Damon.  "They  seem  to 
be  persons  like  ourselves,  Tom." 

"They  are,"  agreed  the  lad,  "and  they  appear 
to  be  in  the  same  sort  of  trouble  as  ourselves. 
Let's  go  forward,  and  meet  them." 

The  tremor  of  the  earthquake  had  now  sub- 
sided, and  the  little  band  that  was  gathered  about 
a  big  fire  of  driftwood  was  calmer.  Those  who 
had  fallen,  or  who  had  thrown  themselves  on  the 
sand,  arose,  and  began  feeling  of  their  arms  and 
legs  to  see  if  they  had  sustained  any  injuries. 
Others  advanced  toward  our  friends. 

"Nine  of  them,"  murmured  Tom,  as  he  counted 
the  little  band  of  castaways,  "and  they  don't  seem 
to  have  been  able  to  save  much  from  the  wreck 
of  their  craft,  whatever  it  was."  The  beach  all 
about  them  was  bare,  save  for  a  boat  drawn  up 
out  of  reach  of  high  water. 

"Do  you  suppose  they  are  a  party  from  some 
disabled  airship,  Tom,"  asked  Mr.  Fenwick. 

"Not  from  an  airship,"  answered  the  lad. 
"Probably  from  some  vessel  that  was  wrecked  in 
the  gale.  But  we  will  soon  find  out  who  they 
are." 

Tom  led  the  way  for  his  two  friends.  The 
fall  of  the  cliff  had  made  a  rugged  path  around 
the  base  of  it,  over  rocks,  to  where  the  other 


138     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

people  stood.  Tom  scrambled  in  and  out  among 
the  boulders,  in  spite  of  the  pain  it  caused  his 
wounded  leg.  He  was  anxious  to  know  who  the 
other  castaways  were,  and  how  they  had  come 
there. 

Several  of  the  larger  party  were  now  advancing 
to  meet  the  lad  and  his  friends.  Tom  could  see 
two  women  and  seven  men. 

A  moment  later,  when  the  lad  had  a  good  view 
of  one  of  the  ladies  and  a  gentleman,  he  could 
not  repress  a  cry  of  astonishment.  Then  he 
rubbed  his  eyes  to  make  sure  it  was  not  some 
blur  or  defect  of  vision.  No,  his  first  impression 
had  been  correct. 

"Mr.  Nestor!"  cried  Tom,  recognizing  the 
father  of  his  girl  friend.  "And  Mrs.  Nestor!" 
he  added  a  moment  later. 

"Why — of  all  things — look — Amos — it's — it 
can't  be  possible — and  yet — why,  it's  Tom 
Swift !"  cried  the  lady. 

"Tom — Tom  Swift — here?"  ejaculated  the 
man  at  her  side. 

"Yes — Tom  Swift — the  young  inventor — of 
Shopton — don't  you  know — the  lad  who  saved 
Mary's  life  in  the  runaway — Tom  Swift !" 

"Tom  Swift!"  murmured  Mr.  Nestor.  "Is  it 
possible !" 

"I'm  Tom   Swift,   all   right,"   answered  the 


AN  ALARMING  THEORY 


139 


owner  of  that  name,  "  but  how  in  the  world  did 
you  get  on  this  island,  Mr.  Nestor  ?" 

"I  might  ask  you  the  same  thing,  Tom.  The 
yacht  Resolute,  on  which  we  were  making  a 
voyage  to  the  West  Indies,  as  guests  of  Mr. 
George  Hosbrook,  was  wrecked  in  the  awful  gale. 
We  took  to  the  boats  and  managed  to  reach  this 
island.  The  yacht  sunk,  and  we  only  had  a  little 
food.  We  are  almost  starved!  But  how  came 
you  here?" 

"Mr.  Fenwick's  airship  was  wrecked,  and  we 
dropped  down  here.  What  a  coinr'uence!  To 
think  that  I  should  meet  you  here !  Lut  if  you're 
hungry,  it's  the  best  thing  in  the  world  that  we 
met  you,  for,  though  our  airship  was  wrecked, 
we  have  a  large  supply  of  food.  Come  over  to 
our  camp,  and  we'll  give  you  all  you  want !" 

Tom  had  rushed  forward,  and  was  shaking 
hands  with  Mary's  parents,  so  unexpectedly  met 
with,  when  Mr.  Nestor  called  out : 

"Come  over  here,  Mr.  Hosbrook.  I  want  you 
to  meet  a  friend  of  mine." 

,     A  moment  later,  the  millionaire  owner  of  the 
ill-fated  Resolute  was  shaking  hands  with  Tom. 

"I  can't  understand  it,"  Mr.  Hosbrook  said. 
"To  think  of  meeting  other  people  on  this  deso- 
late island — this  island  of  earthquakes." 

"Oh,  please  don't  speak  of  earthquakes !"  cried 


I40     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Mrs.  Nestor.  "We  are  in  mortal  terror !  There 
have  been  several  since  we  landed  in  the  most 
terrible  storm  day  before  ytesterday.  Isn't  it 
awful !  It  is  a  regular  earthquake  island !" 

"That's  what  I  call  it,"  spoke  Tom,  grimly.     , 

The  others  of  the  larger  party  of  refugees  now 
came  up.  Besides  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nestor,  and  Mr. 
Hosbrook,  there  was  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Floyd  Ander- 
son, friends  of  the  millionaire;  Mr.  Ralph  Parker, 
who  was  spoken  of  as  a  scientist,  Mr.  Barcoe 
Jenks,  who  seemed  an  odd  sort  of  individual, 
always  looking  about  suspiciously,  Captain  Men- 
tor, who  had  been  in  command  of  the  yacht,  and 
Jake  Fordam,  the  mate  of  the  vessel. 

"And  are  these  all  who  were  saved?"  asked 
Tom,  as  he  introduced  his  two  friends,  and  told 
briefly  of  their  air  voyage. 

"No,"  answered  Mr.  Hosbrook,  "two  other 
boatloads,  one  containing  most  of  the  crew,  and 
the  other  containing  some  of  my  guests,  got 
away  before  our  boat  left.  I  trust  they  have  been 
rescued,  but  we  have  heard  nothing  about  them. 
However,  our  own  lives  may  not  long  be  safe,' 
if  these  earthquakes  continue." 

"But  did  I  understand  you  to  say,  Mr.  Swift, 
that  you  had  food?"  he  went  on.  "If  you  have, 
I  will  gladly  pay  you  any  price  for  some,  espe- 
cially for  these  two  ladies,  who  must  be  faint.  I 


AN  ALARMING  THEORY  141 

have  lost  all  my  ready  cash,  but  if  we*  ever  reach 
civilization,  I  will " 

"Don't  speak  of  such  a  thing  as  pay/'  inter- 
rupted Mr.  Fenwick.  "All  that  we  have  we'll 
gladly  share  with  you.  Come  over  to  our  camp. 
We  have  enough  for  all,  and  we  can  cook  on  our 
gasolene  stove.  Don't  speak  of  pay,  I  beg  of 
you." 

"Ah — er,  if  Mr.  Hosbrook  has  no  money,  per- 
haps I  can  offer  an  equivalent,"  broke  in  the  man 
who  had  been  introduced  as  Barcoe  Jenks.  "I 

have — er — some  securities "  He  stopped  and 

looked  about  indefinitely,  as  though  he  did  not 
know  exactly  what  to  say,  and  he  was  fumbling 
at  a  belt  about  his  waist;  a  belt  that  might  con- 
tain treasure. 

"Don't  speak  of  reimbursing  us,"  went  on  Mr. 
Fenwick,  with  rather  a  suspicious  glance  at  Mr. 
Jenks.  "You  are  welcome  to  whatever  we  have." 

"Bless  my  topknot;  certainly,  yes!"  joined  in 
Mr.  Damon,  eagerly. 

"Well,  I — er — I  only  spoke  of  it,"  said  Mr. 
Jenks,  hesitatingly,  and  then  he  turned  away. 
Mr.  Hosbrook  looked  sharply  at  him,  but  said 
nothing. 

"Suppose  we  go  to  our  camp,"  proposed  Tom. 
"We  may  be  able  to  get  you  up  a  good  meal, 
before  another  earthquake  comes." 


I42     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"I  wonder  what  makes  so  many  of  them?" 
asked  Mrs.  Nestor,  with  a  nervous  shiver. 

"Yes,  indeed,  they  are  terrifying!  One  never 
knows  when  to  expect  them,"  added  Mrs.  Ander- 
son. 

"I  have  a  theory  about  them,"  said  Mr.  Par- 
ker, the  scientist,  who,  up  to  this  time  had  spoken 
but  little. 

"A  theory?"  inquired  Tom. 

"Yes.  This  island  is  one  of  the  smaller  of  the 
West  Indies  group.  It  is  little  known,  and  has 
seldom  been  visited,  I  believe.  But  I  am  sure 
that  what  causes  the  earthquakes  is  that  the  whole 
island  has  been  undermined  by  the  sea,  and  it  is 
the  wash  of  great  submarine  waves  and  currents 
which  cause  the  tremors." 

"Undermined  by  the  sea?"  repeated  Tom. 

"Yes.    It  is  being  slowly  washed  away." 

"Bless  my  soul !  Washed  away !"  gasped  Mr. 
Damon. 

"And,  in  the  course  of  a  comparatively  short 
time,  it  will  sink,"  went  on  the  scientist,  as  cheer- 
fully as  though  he  was  a  professor  propounding 
some  problem  to  his  class. 

"Sink !"  ejaculated  Mrs.  Nestor.  "The  whole 
island  undermined!  Oh,  what  an  alarming 
theory!" 

"I   wish   I   could   hold   to   a   different   one, 


AN  ALARMING  THEORY  143 

madam,"  was  Mr.  Parker's  answer,  "but  I  can- 
not. I  think  the  island  will  sink  after  a  few  more 
shocks." 

"Then  what  good  will  my "  began  Barcoe 

Jenks,  but  he  stopped  in  confusion,  and  again  his 
hand  went  to  his  belt  with  a  queer  gesture. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

A   MIGHTY   SHOCK 

TOM  SWIFT  turned  to  gaze  at  Mr.  Barcoe 
Jenks.  That  individual  certainly  had  a  strange 
manner.  Perhaps  it  might  be  caused  by  the  ter- 
ror of  the  earthquakes,  but  the  man  seemed  to  be 
trying  to  hold  back  some  secret.  He  was  con- 
strained and  ill  at  ease.  He  saw  the  young  in- 
ventor looking  at  him,  and  his  hands,  which  had 
gone  to  his  belt,  with  a  spasmodic  motion, 
dropped  to  his  side. 

"You  don't  really  mean  to  say,  Parker,  that 
you  think  the  whole  island  is  undermined,  do 
you?"  asked  the  owner  of  the  Resolute. 

"That's  my  theory.  It  may  be  a  wrong  one, 
but  it  is  borne  out  by  the  facts  already  presented 
to  us.  I  greatly  fear  for  our  lives !" 

"But  what  can  we  do?"  cried  Mrs.  Nestor. 

"Nothing,"  answered  the  scientist,  with  a  shrug 
of  his  shoulders.  "Absolutely  nothing,  save  to 
wait  for  it  to  happen." 

144 


A  MIGHTY  SHOCK  145 

"Don't   say   that!"    begged    Mrs.    Anderson. 

"Can't  you  gentlemen  do  something — build  a 
boat  and  take  us  away.  Why,  the  boat  we  came 
here  in " 

"Struck  a  rock,  and  stove  a  hole  in  the  bottom 
as  big  as  a  barrel,  madam,"  interrupted  Captain 
Mentor.  "It  would  never  do  to  put  to  sea  in 
that." 

"But  can't  something  else  be  done  ?"  demanded 
Mrs.  Nestor.  "Oh,  it  is  awful  to  think  of  perish- 
ing on  this  terrible  earthquake  island.  Oh, 
Amos!  Think  of  it,  and  Mary  home  alone! 
Have  you  seen  her  lately,  Mr.  Swift?" 

Tom  told  of  his  visit  to  the  Nestors'  home. 
Our  hero  was  almost  in  despair,  not  so  much 
for  himself,  as  for  the  unfortunate  women  of  the 
party — and  one  of  them  was  Mary's  mother! 
Yet  what  could  he  do?  What  chance  was  there 
of  escaping  from  the  earthquake? 

"Bless  my  gizzard!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Damon. 
"Don't  let's  stand  here  worrying!  If  you  folks 
are  hungry  come  up  to  our  camp.  We  have 
plenty.  Afterward  we  can  discuss  means  of  sav- 
ing ourselves." 

"I  want  to  be  saved!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jenks. 
"I  must  be  saved!  I  have  a  great  secret — a 
secret " 


146     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Once  more  he  paused  in  confusion,  and  once 
more  his  hands  nervously  sought  his  belt. 

"I  would  give  a  big  reward  to  be  saved,"  he 
murmured. 

"And  so,  I  fancy,  we  all  would,"  added  Cap- 
tain Mentor.  "But  we  are  not  likely  to.  This 
island  is  out  of  the  track  of  the  regular  line  of 
vessels." 

"Where  are  we,  anyhow?"  inquired  Mr.  Fen- 
wick.  "What  island  is  this?' 

"It  isn't  down  on  the  charts,  I  believe,"  was 
the  captain's  reply,  "but  we  won't  be  far  out,  if 
we  call  it  Earthquake  Island.  That  name  seems 
to  fit  it  exactly." 

They  had  walked  on,  while  talking,  and  now 
had  gone  past  the  broken  cliff.  Tom  and  his 
two  friends  of  the  airship  led  the  way  to  the 
camp  they  had  made.  On  the  way,  Mr.  Hos- 
brook  related  how  his  yacht  had  struggled  in  vain 
against  the  tempest,  how  she  had  sprung  a  leak, 
how  the  fires  had  gone  out,  and  how,  helpless  in 
the  trough  of  the  sea,  the  gallant  vessel  began  to 
founder.  Then  they  had  taken  to  the  boats,  and 
had,  most  unexpectedly  come  upon  the  island. 

"And  since  we  landed  we  have  had  very  little 
to  eat,"  said  Mrs.  Nestor.  "We  haven't  had  a 
place  to  sleep,  and  it  has  been  terrible.  Then, 
too,  the  earthquakes!  And  my  husband  and  I 


A  MIGHTY  SHOCK  147 

worried  so  about  Mary.  Oh,  Mr.  Swift!  Do 
you  think  there  is  any  chance  of  us  ever  seeing 
her  again  ?" 

"I  don't  know,"  answered  Tom,  softly.  "I'll 
do  all  I  can  to  get  us  off  this  island.  Perhaps/ 
we  can  build  a  raft,  and  set  out.  If  we  stay  here 
there  is  no  telling  what  will  happen,  if  that 
scientist's  theory  is  correct.  But  there  is  our 
camp,  just  ahead.  You  will  be  more  comfortable, 
at  least  for  a  little  while." 

In  a  short  time  they  were  at  the  place  where 
Tom  and  the  others  had  built  the  shack.  The 
ruins  of  the  airship  were  examined  with  interest, 
and  the  two  women  took  advantage  of  the  se- 
clusion of  the  little  hut,  to  get  some  much  needed 
rest  until  a  meal  should  be  ready. 

One  was  soon  in  course  of  preparation  by  Tom 
and  Mr.  Damon,  aided  by  Mate  Fordam,  of  the 
Resolute.  Fortunate  it  was  that  Mr.  Fenwick 
had  brought  along  such  a  supply  of  food,  for 
there  were  now  many  mouths  to  feed. 

That  the  supper  (which  the  meal  really  was, 
for  it  was  getting  late)  was  much  enjoyed,  goes 
without  saying.  The  yacht  castaways  had  sub- 
sisted on  what  little  food  had  been  hurriedly  put 
into  the  life  boat,  as  they  left  the  vessel. 

At  Tom's  request,  while  it  was  yet  light,  Cap- 
tain Mentor  and  some  of  the  men  hunted  for  a 


I48     rOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

spring  of  fresh  water,  and  found  one,  for,  with 
the  increase  in  the  party,  the  young  inventor  saw 
the  necessity  for  more  water.  The  spring  gave 
promise  of  supplying  a  sufficient  quantity. 

There  was  plenty  of  material  at  hand  for  mak- 
ing other  shacks,  and  they  were  soon  in  course  of 
construction.  They  were  made  light,  as  was  the 
one  Tom  and  his  friends  first  built,  so  that,  in 
case  of  another  shock,  no  one  would  be  hurt  seri- 
ously. The  two  ladies  were  given  the  larger 
shack,  and  the  men  divided  themselves  between 
two  others  that  were  hastily  erected  on  the  beach. 
The  remainder  of  the  food  and  stores  was  taken 
from  the  wreck  of  the  airship,  and  when  dark- 
ness began  to  fall,  the  camp  was  snug  and  com- 
fortable, a  big  fire  of  driftwood  burning  brightly. 

"Oh,  if  only  we  can  sleep  without  being 
awakened  by  an  earthquake!"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Nestor,  as  she  prepared  to  go  into  the  shack  with 
Mrs.  Anderson.  "But  I  am  almost  afraid  to  close 
my  eyes !" 

"If  it  would  do  any  good  to  stay  up  and  watch, 
to  tell  you  when  one  was  coming,  I'd  do  so," 
spoke  Tom,  with  a  laugh,  "but  they  come  with- 
out warning." 

However,  the  night  did  pass  peacefully,  and 
there  was  not  the  least  tremor  of  the  island.  In 
the  morning  the  castaways  took  courage  and, 


A  MIGHTY  SHOCK  149 

after  breakfast,  began  discussing  their  situation 
more  calmly. 

"It  seems  to  me  that  the  only  solution  is  to 
build  some  sort  of  a  raft,  or  other  craft  and 
leave  the  island,"  said  Mr.  Fenwick. 

"Bless  my  hair  brush!"  cried  Mr.  Dbmon. 
"Why  can't  we  hoist  a  signal  of  distress,  and 
wait  for  some  steamer  to  see  it  and  call  for  us? 
It  seems  to  me  that  would  be  more  simple  than 
going  to  sea  on  a  raft.  I  don't  like  the  idea." 

"A  signal  would  be  all  right,  if  this  island 
was  in  the  path  of  the  steamers,"  said  Captain 
Mentor.  "But  it  isn't.  Our  flag  might  fly  for 
a  year,  and  never  be  seen." 

His  words  seemed  to  strike  coldness  to  every 
heart.  Tom,  who  was  looking  at  the  wreck  of 
the  airship,  suddenly  uttered  an  exclamation.  He 
sprang  to  his  feet. 

"What  is  it?"  demanded  Mr.  Fenwick.  "Does 
your  sore  leg  hurt  you  ?" 

"No,  but  I  have  just  thought  of  a  plan!" 
fairly  shouted  the  young  inventor.  "I  have  it! 
Wait  and  see  if  I  can  work  it!" 

"Work  what?"  cried  Mr.  Damon. 

Tom  did  not  get  a  chance  to  answer,  for,  at 
that  moment,  there  sounded,  at  the  far  end  of  the 
island,  whence  the  yacht  castaways  had  come,  a 
terrific  crash.  It  was  accompanied,  rather  than 


150     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

followed,  by  a  shaking,  trembling  and  swaying  of 
the  ground. 

"Another  earthquake!"  screamed  Mrs.  Nes- 
tor, rushing  toward  her  husband.  The  castaways 
gazed  at  each  other  affrighted. 

Suddenly,  before  their  eyes,  they  saw  the  ex- 
treme end  of  that  part  of  the  island  on  which 
they  were  camping,  slip  off,  and  disappear  be- 
neath the  foaming  waves  of  the  sea,  while  the 
echoes  of  the  mighty  crash  came  to  their  ears ! 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

MR.    JENKS   HAS  DIAMONDS 

STUNNED,  and  well-nigh  paralyzed  by  the  sud- 
denness of  the  awful  crash,  and  the  recurrence  of 
the  earthquake,  the  castaways  gazed  spell-bound 
at  one  another. 

Succeeding  the  disappearance  of  the  end  of  the 
island  there  arose  a  great  wave  in  the  ocean, 
caused  by  the  immersion  of  such  a  quantity  of 
rock  and  dirt. 

"Look  out !"  yelled  Tom,  "there  may  be  a  flood 
here!" 

They  realized  his  meaning,  and  hastened  up 
the  beach,  out  of  reach  of  the  water  if  it  should 
come.  And  it  did.  At  first  the  ocean  retreated, 
as  though  the  tide  was  going  out,  then,  with  a 
rush  and  roar,  the  waves  came  leaping  back,  and, 
had  the  castaways  remained  where  they  had  been 
standing  they  would  have  been  swept  out  to  sea. 

As  it  was  the  flood  reached  part  of  the  wreck 
of  the  airship,  that  lay  on  the  beach,  and  washed 


I52     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

away  some  of  the  broken  planks.  But,  after  the 
first  rush  of  water,  the  sea  grew  less  troubled, 
and  there  was  no  more  danger  from  that  source. 

True,  the  whole  island  was  rumbling  and 
trembling  in  the  throes  of  an  earthquake,  but, 
by  this  time,  the  refugees  had  become  somewhat 
used  to  this,  and  only  the  two  ladies  exhibited 
any  outward  signs  of  great  alarm,  though  Mr. 
Barcoe  Jenks,  Tom  observed,  was  nervously 
fingering  th?  belt  which  he  wore  about  his  waist. 

"I  guess  the  worst  is  over,"  spoke  Mr.  Fen- 
wick,  as  they  stood  looking  toward  where  part 
of  the  island  had  vanished.  "The  shock  expended 
itself  en  tearing  that  mass  of  rock  and  earth 
away.'* 

"Let  us  hope  so,"  added  Mr.  Hosbrook, 
solemnly.  "Oh,  if  we  could  only  get  away  from 
this  terrible  place!  We  must  hoist  a  signal  of 
disti  ess,  even  if  we  are  out  of  the  track  of  regu- 
lar ""essels.  Some  ship,  blown  out  of  her  course 
may  see  it.  Captain  Mentor,  I  wish  you  and 
Mr-  Fordam  would  attend  to  that." 

'*!  will,  sir,"  answered  the  commander  of  the 
ill-fated  Resolute.  "The  signal  shall  be  hoisted' 
at  once.  Come  on,  Mr.  Fordam,"  he  added, 
turning  to  the  first  mate. 

"If  you  don't  mind,"  interrupted  Tom,  "I  wish 
you  would  first  help  me  to  get  what  remains  of 


MR.  JENKS  HAS  DIAMONDS  153 

the  airship  up  out  of  reach  of  any  more  possible 
high  waves.  That  one  nearly  covered  it,  and  if 
there  are  other  big  rollers,  the  wreck  may  be 
washed  out  to  sea." 

"I  can't  see  that  any  great  harm  would  result 
'from  that,"  put  in  Mr.  Jenks.  "There  isn't 
anything  about  the  wreck  that  we  could  use  to 
make  a  boat  or  raft  from."  Indeed,  there  was 
little  left  of  the  airship,  save  the  mass  of  ma- 
chinery. 

"Well,  it  may  come  in  handy  before  we  leave 
here,"  said  Tom,  and  there  was  a  quiet  deter- 
mined air  about  him,  that  caused  Mr.  Damon  to 
look  at  him  curiously.  The  odd  gentleman 
started  to  utter  one  of  his  numerous  blessings, 
and  to  ask  Tom  a  question,  but  he  thought  better 
of  it  By  this  time  the  earthquake  had  ceased, 
and  the  castaways  were  calmer. 

Tom  started  toward  the  airship  wreck,  and  be- 
gan pulling  off  some  broken  boards  to  get  at  the 
electrical  machinery. 

"I  guess  you  had  better  give  Mr.  Swift  a  hand, 
Captain  Mentor,"  spoke  the  millionaire  yacht 
owner.  "I  don't  know  what  good  the  wreck  can 
be,  but  we  owe  considerable  to  Mr.  Swift  and  his 
friends,  and  the  least  we  can  do  is  to  aid  them 
in  anything  they  ask.  So,  Captain,  if  you  don't 
mind,  you  and  the  mate  bear  a  hand.  In  fact, 


I54     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

we'll  all  help,  and  move  the  wreck  so  far  up  that 
there  will  be  no  danger,  even  from  tidal  waves." 

Torn  looked  pleased  at  this  order,  and  soon  he 
and  all  the  men  in  the  little  party  were  busy  tak- 
ing out  the  electrical  apparatus,  and  moving  it 
farther  inland. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do  with  it,  Tom?" 
asked  Mr.  Damon,  in  a  low  voice,  as  he  assisted 
the  young  inventor  to  carry  a  small  dynamo, 
that  was  used  for  operating  the  incandescent 
lights. 

"I  hardly  know  myself.  I  have  a  half-formed 
plan  in  my  mind.  I  may  be  able  to  carry  it  out, 
and  I  may  not.  I  don't  want  to  say  anything 
until  I  look  over  the  machinery,  and  see  if  all  the 
parts  which  I  need  are  here.  Please  say  nothing 
about  it." 

"Bless  my  toothpick!  Of  course,  I'll  not," 
promised  Mr.  Damon. 

When  the  removal  of  most  of  the  machinery 
of  the  wrecked  airship  had  been  completed,  Mrs. 
Nestor  exclaimed : 

"Well,  since  you  are  moving  that  out  of  harm's 
way,  don't  you  think  it  would  be  a  good  idea 
to  change  our  camp,  also?  I'm  sure  I'll  never 
sleep  a  wink,  thinking  that  part  of  the  island  may 
fall  into  the  ocean  at  any  moment  in  the  night, 


MR.  JENKS  HAS  DIAMONDS  155 

and  create  a  wave  that  may  wash  us  all  out  to 
sea.  Can't  we  move  the  camp,  Mr.  Swift?" 

"No  reason  why  we  can't,"  answered  the  lad, 
smiling.  "I  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to 
take  it  farther  back.  We  are  likely  to  be  here 
some  time,  and,  while  we  are  about  it,  we  might 
build  more  complete  shelters,  and  have  a  few 
more  comforts." 

The  others  agreed  with  this  idea,  so  the  little 
shacks  that  had  been  erected  were  taken  down, 
and  moved  to  higher  ground,  where  a  better  out- 
look could  be  had  of  the  surrounding  ocean. 
At  the  same  time  as  safe  a  place  as  possible,  con- 
sidering the  frequent  earthquakes,  was  picked 
out — a  place  where  there  were  no  overhanging 
rocks  or  cliffs. 

Three  huts  were  built,  one  for  the  two  ladies, 
one  for  the  men,  and  third  where  the  cooking 
could  be  done.  This  last  also  held  the  food  sup- 
plies and  stores,  and  Tom  noted,  with  satisfac- 
tion, that  there  was  still  sufficient  to  eat  to  last 
over  a  week.  Mr.  Fenwick  had  not  stinted  his 
kitchen  stores. 

This  work  done,  Captain  Mentor  and  Mate 
Fordam  went  to  the  highest  part  of  the  island, 
where  they  erected  a  signal,  made  from  pieces  of 
canvas  that  had  been  in  the  life  boat.  The  boat 
itself  was  brought  around  to  the  new  camp,  and 


156     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

at  first  it  was  hoped  that  it  could  be  repaired,  and 
used.  But  too  large  a  hole  had  been  stove  in  the 
bottom,  so  it  was  broken  up,  and  the  planks  used 
in  making  the  shacks. 

This  work  occupied  the  better  part  of  two  days, 
and  during  this  time,  there  were  no  more  earth- 
quakes. The  castaways  began  to  hope  that  the 
island  would  not  be  quiet  for  a  while.  Mrs.  An- 
derson and  Mrs.  Nestor  assumed  charge  of  the 
"housekeeping"  arrangements,  and  also  the  cook- 
ing, which  relieved  Tom  from  those  duties.  The 
two  ladies  even  instituted  "  wash-day,"  and  when 
a  number  of  garments  were  hung  on  lines  to  dry, 
the  camp  looked  like  some  summer  colony  of 
pleasure-seekers,  out  for  a  holiday. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Tom  had  spent  most  of  his 
time  among  the  machinery  which  had  been  taken 
from  the  airship.  He  inspected  it  carefully,  tested 
some  of  the  apparatus,  and  made  some  calculations 
on  a  bit  of  paper.  He  seemed  greatly  pleased 
over  something,  and  one  afternoon,  when  he  was 
removing  some  of  the  guy  and  stay  wires  from 
the  collapsed  frame  of  the  Whizzer,  he  was  ap- 
proached by  Mr.  Barcoe  Jenks. 

"Planning  something  new?"  asked  Mr.  Jenks, 
with  an  attempt  at  jollity,  which,  however,  failed. 
The  man  had  a  curious  air  about  him,  as  if  he 


MR.  JENKS  HAS  DIAMONDS  157 

was  carrying  some  secret  that  was  too  much  for 
him. 

"Well,  nothing  exactly  new,"  answered  Tom. 
"At  best  I  am  merely  going  to  try  an  experi- 
ment." 

"An  experiment,  eh?"  resumed  Mr.  Jenks. 
"And  might  I  ask  if  it  has  anything  to  do  with 
rescuing  us  from  this  island  ?" 

"I  hope  it  will  have,"  answered  Tom,  gravely. 

"Good!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jenks.  "Well,  now  I 
have  a  proposition  to  make  to  you.  I  suppose 
you  are  not  very  wealthy,  Mr.  Swift  ?"  He  gazed 
at  Tom,  quizzically. 

"I  am  not  poor,"  was  the  young  inventor's 
proud  answer,  "but  I  would  be  glad  to  make 
more  money — legitimately." 

"I  thought  so.  Most  every  one  would.  Look 
here!" 

He  approached  closer  to  Tom,  and,  pulling  his 
hand  from  his  pocket,  held  it  extended.  In  the 
palm  were  a  number  of  irregularly-shaped  ob- 
jects— stones  or  crystals  the  lad  took  them  tc  be, 
yet  they  did  not  look  like  ordinary  stones  or  crys- 
tals. 

"Do  you  know  what  those  are?"  asked  Mr, 
Jenks. 

"I  might  guess,"  replied  Tom. 

"I'll  save  you  the  'rouble.    They  are  diamonds! 


158     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Diamonds  of  the  very  first  water,  but  uncut. 
Now  to  the  point.  I  have  half  a  million  dollars 
worth  of  them.  If  you  get  me  safely  off  this 
island,  I  will  agree  to  make  you  a  quarter  of  a 
million  dollars  worth  of  diamonds !" 

"Make  me  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars  worth 
of  diamonds?"  asked  Tom,  struck  by  the  use  of 
the  work  "make." 

"Yes,  'make/  "  answered  Mr.  Jenks.  "That 
is  if  I  can  discover  the  secret — the  secret  of 
Phantom  Mountain.  Get  me  away  from  the 
island  and  I  will  share  my  knowledge  with  you 
— I  need  help — help  to  learn  the  secret  and  help 
to  make  the  diamonds — see,  there  are  some  of  the 
first  ones  made,  but  I  have  been  defrauded  of  my 
rights — I  need  the  aid  of  a  young  fellow  like  you. 
Will  you  help  ?  See,  I'll  give  you  some  diamonds 
now.  They  are  genuine,  though  they  are  not 
like  ordinary  diamonds.  I  made  them.  Will 

you » 

Before  Tom  could  answer,  there  came  a  warn- 
ing rumble  of  the  earth,  and  a  great  fissure 
opened,  almost  at  the  feet  of  Mr.  Jenks,  who, 
with  a  cry  of  fear,  leaped  toward  the  young  in- 
ventor. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

SECRET   OPERATIONS 

HELP  me  save  this  machinery!"  yelled  Tom, 
whose  first  thought  was  for  the  electrical  appara- 
tus. "Don't  let  it  fall  into  that  chasm !" 

For  the  crack  had  widened,  until  it  was  almost 
to  the  place  where  the  parts  of  the  wrecked  air- 
ship had  been  carried. 

"The  machinery?  What  do  I  care  about  the 
machinery?"  cried  Mr.  Jenks.  "I  want  to  save 
my  life !" 

"And  this  machinery  is  our  only  hope!"  re- 
torted Tom.  He  began  tugging  at  the  heavy 
dynamos  and  gasolene  engine,  but  he  might  have 
saved  himself  the  trouble,  for  with  the  same  sud- 
denness writh  which  it  opened,  the  crack  closed 
again.  The  shock  had  done  it,  and,  as  if  satis- 
fied with  that  phenomena,  the  earthquake  ceased, 
and  the  island  no  longer  trembled. 

"That  was  a  light  one,"  spoke  Tom,  with  an 
air  of  relief.  He  was  becoming  used  to  the 


l6o     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

shocks  now,  and,  when  he  saw  that  his  precious 
machinery  was  not  damaged  he  could  view  the 
earth  tremors  calmly. 

.  "Slight!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jenks.  "Well,  I 
don't  call  it  so.  But  I  see  Captain  Mentor  and 
Mr.  Hosbrook  coming.  Please  don't  say  any- 
thing to  them  about  the  diamonds.  I'll  see  you 
again,"  and  with  that,  the  queer  Mr.  Jenks  walked 
away. 

"We  came  to  see  if  you  were  hurt,"  called  the 
captain,  as  he  neared  the  young  inventor. 

"No,  I'm  all  right.     How  about  the  others?" 

"Only  frightened,"  replied  the  yacht  owner. 
"This  is  getting  awful.  I  hoped  we  were  free 
from  the  shocks,  but  they  still  continue." 

"And  I  guess  they  will,"  added  Tom.  "We 
certainly  are  on  Earthquake  Island!" 

"Mr.  Parker,  the  scientist,  says 'this  last  shock 
bears  out  his  theory,"  went  on  the  millionaire. 
"He  says  it  will  be  only  a  question  of  a  few  days 
when  the  whole  island  will  disappear." 

"Comforting,  to  say  the  least,"  commented 
Tom. 

"I  should  say  so.  But  what  are  you  doing, 
Mr.  Swift?" 

"Trying  an  experiment,"  answered  the  young 
inventor,  in  some  confusion.  He  was  not  yet 
ready  to  talk  about  his  plans. 


SECRET  OPERATIONS  161 

"We  must  begin  to  think  seriously  of  building 
some  sort  of  a  boat  or  raft,  and  getting  away  from 
the  island,"  went  on  the  millionaire.  "It  will  be 
perilous  to  go  to  sea  with  anything  we  can  con- 
struct, but  it  is  risking  our  lives  to  stay  here.  I 
don't  know  what  to  do." 

"Perhaps  Captain  Mentor  has  some  plan,"  sug- 
gested Tom,  hoping  to  change  the  subject. 

"No,"  answered  the  commander,  "I  confess  I 
am  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do.  There  is  noth- 
ing with  which  to  do  anything,  that  is  the  trouble ! 
But  I  did  think  of  hoisting  another  signal,  on  this 
end  of  the  island,  where  it  might  be  seen  if  our 
first  one  wasn't.  I  believe  I'll  do  that,"  and  he 
moved  away,  to  carry  out  his  intention. 

"Well,  I  think  I'll  get  back,  Tom,  and  tell  the 
others  that  you  are  all  right,"  spoke  Mr.  Hos- 
brook.  "I  left  the  camp,  after  the  shock,  because 
Mrs.  Nestor  was  worried  about  you."  The  place 
to  which  the  airship  machinery  had  been  removed 
"was  some  distance  from  the  camp,  and  out  of 
sight  of  the  shacks. 

"Oh,  yes.  I'm  all  right,"  said  Tom.  Then, 
with  a  sudden  impulse,  he  asked : 

"Do  you  know  much  about  this  Mr.  Barcoe 
Jenks,  Mr.  Hosbrook?" 

"Not  a  great  deal,"  was  the  reply.     "In  fact, 


162     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

I  may  say  I  do  not  know  him  at  all.  Why  do 
you  ask?" 

"Because  I  thought  he  acted  rather  strangely." 

"Just  what  the  rest  of  us  think,"  declared  the 
yacht  owner.  "He  is  no  friend  of  mine,  though 
he  was  my  guest  on  the  Resolute.  It  came  about 
in  this  way.  I  had  invited  a  Mr.  Frank  Jack- 
son to  make  the  trip  with  me,  and  he  asked  if 
he  could  bring  with  him  a  Mr.  Jenks,  a  friend 
of  his.  I  assented,  and  Mr.  Jackson  came  aboard 
with  Mr.  Jenks.  Just  as  we  were  about  to  sail 
Mr.  Jackson  received  a  message  requiring  his 
presence  in  Canada,  and  he  could  not  make  the 
trip. 

"But  Mr.  Jenks  seemed  so  cut-up  about  being 
deprived  of  the  yachting  trip,  and  was  so  fond 
of  the  water,  that  I  invited  him  to  remain  on 
board,  even  if  his  friend  did  not.  So  that  is  how 
he  came  to  be  among  my  guests,  though  he  is  a 
comparative  stranger  to  all  of  us." 

"I  see,"  spoke  Tom. 

"Has  he  been  acting  unusually  strange?"  asked 
Mr.  Hosbrook  suspiciously. 

"No,  only  he  seemed  very  anxious  to  get  off 
the  island,  but  I  suppose  we  all  are.  He  wanted 
to  know  what  I  planned  to  do." 

"Did  you  tell  him?" 

"No,  for  the  reason  that  I  don't  know  whether 


SECRET  OPERATIONS  163 

I  can  succeed  or  not,  and  I  don't  want  to  raise 
false  hopes." 

"Then  you  would  prefer  not  to  tell  any  of 
us?" 

"No  one — that  is  except  Mr.  Fenwick  and  Mr. 
Damon.  I  may  need  them  to  help  me." 

"I  see,"  responded  Mr.  Hosbrook.  "Well, 
whatever  it  is,  I  wish  you  luck.  It  is  certainly 
a  fearful  place — this  island,"  and,  busy  with  many 
thoughts,  which  crowded  upon  him,  the  million- 
aire moved  away,  leaving  Tom  alone. 

A  little  while  after  this  Tom  might  have  been 
seen  in  close  conversation  with  Mr.  Damon  and 
Mr.  Fenwick.  The  former,  on  hearing  what  the 
young  inventor  had  to  say,  blessed  himself  and 
his  various  possessions  so  often,  that  he  seemed 
to  have  gotten  out  of  breath.  Mr.  Fenwick  ex- 
claimed : 

"Tom,  if  you  can  work  that  it  will  be  one  of 
the  greatest  things  you  have  ever  done!" 

"I  hope  I  can  work  it,"  was  all  the  young  in- 
ventor replied. 

For  the  next  three  days  Tom,  and  his  two 
friends,  spent  most  of  their  time  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  pile  of  machinery  and  apparatus 
taken  from  the  wrecked  Whizzer.  Mr.  Jenks 
hung  around  the  spot,  but  a  word  or  two  from 
Mr.  Hosbrook  sent  him  away,  and  our  three 


164     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

friends  were  left  to  their  work  in  peace,  for  they 
were  inclined  to  be  secretive  about  their  opera- 
tions, as  Tom  did  not  want  his  plans  known 
until  he  was  ready. 

The  gasolene  motor  was  overhauled,  and  put 
in  shape  to  work.  Then  it  was  attached  to  the 
dynamo.  When  this  much  had  been  done,  Tom 
and  his  friends  built  a  rude  shack  around  the 
machinery  shutting  it  from  view. 

"Humph!  Are  you  afraid  we  will  steal  it?" 
asked  Mr.  Parker,  the  scientist,  who  held  to  his 
alarming  theory  regarding  the  ultimate  disap- 
pearance of  the  island. 

"No,  I  simply  want  to  protect  it  from  the 
weather,"  answered  Tom.  "You  will  soon  know 
all  our  plans.  I  think  they  will  work  out." 

"You'd  better  do  it  before  we  get  another 
earthquake,  and  the  island  sinks,"  was  the  dis- 
mal response. 

But  there  had  been  no  shocks  since  the  one  that 
nearly  engulfed  Mr.  Jenks.  As  for  that  individ- 
ual he  said  little  to  any  one,  and  wandered  off 
alone  by  himself.  Tom  wondered  what  kind  of 
diamonds  they  were  that  the  odd  man  had,  and 
the  lad  even  had  his  doubts  as  to  the  value  of 
the  queer  stones  he  had  seen.  But  he  was  too 
busy  with  his  work  to  waste  much  time  in  idle 
speculation. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE   WIRELESS   PLANT 

THE  castaways  had  been  on  Earthquake 
Island  a  week  now,  and  in  that  time  had  suf- 
fered many  shocks.  Some  were  mere  tremors, 
and  some  were  so  severe  as  to  throw  whole  por- 
tions of  the  isle  into  the  sea.  They  never  could 
tell  when  a  shock  was  coming,  and  often  one 
awakened  them  in  the  night. 

But,  in  spite  of  this,  the  refugees  were  as  cheer- 
ful as  it  was  possible  to  be  under  the  circum- 
stances. Only  Mr.  Jenks  seemed  nervous  and  ill 
at  ease,  and  he  kept  much  by  himself. 

As  for  Tom,  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Fenwick, 
the  three  were  busy  in  their  shack.  The  others 
had  ceased  to  ask  questions  about  what  they  were 
doing,  and  Mr.  Nestor  and  his  wife  took  it  for 
granted  that  Tom  was  building  a  boat. 

Captain  Mentor  and  the  mate  spent  much  time 
gazing  off  to  sea,  hoping  for  a  sight  of  the  sail 
of  some  vessel,  or  the  haze  that  would  indicate 
165 


166     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

the  smoke  of  a  steamer.  But  they  saw  noth- 
ing. 

"I  haven't  much  hope  of  sighting  anything," 
the  captain  said.  "I  know  we  are  off  the  track 
of  the  regular  liners,  and  our  only  chance  would 
be  that  some  tramp  steamer,  or  some  ship  blown 
off  her  course,  would  see  our  signal.  I  tell  you, 
friends,  we're  in  a  bad  way." 

"If  money  was  any  object ,"  began  Mr. 

Jenks. 

"What  good  would  money  be?"  demanded  Mr. 
Hosbrook.  "What  we  need  to  do  is  to  get  a 
message  to  some  one — some  of  my  friends — to 
send  out  a  party  to  rescue  us." 

"That's  right,"  chimed  in  Mr.  Parker,  the  sci- 
entist. "And  the  message  needs  to  go  off  soon, 
if  we  are  to  be  saved." 

"Why  so?"  asked  Mr.  Anderson. 

"Because  I  think  this  island  will  sink  inside 
of  a  week !" 

A  scream  came  from  the  two  ladies. 

"Why  don't  you  keep  such  thoughts  to  your- 
self?" demanded  the  millionaire  yacht  owner,  in- 
dignantly. 

"Well,  it's  true,"  stubbornly  insisted  the  sci- 
entist. 

"What  if  it  is?  It  doesn't  do  any  good  to  re- 
mind us  of  it." 


THE  WIRELESS  PLANT  167 

"Bless  my  gizzard,  no!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Da- 
mon. "Suppose  we  have  dinner.  I'm  hungry." 

That  seemed  to  be  his  remedy  for  a  number 
of  ills, 

"If  we  only  could  get  a  message  off,  summon- 
ing help,  it  would  be  the  very  thing,"  sighed  Mrs. 
Nestor.  "Oh,  how  I  wish  I  could  send  my 
daughter,  Mary,  word  of  where  we  are.  She 
may  hear  of  the  wreck  of  the  Resolute,  and  worry 
herself  to  death." 

"But  it  is  out  of  the  question  to  send  a  mes- 
sage for  help  from  Earthquake  Island,"  added 
Mrs.  Anderson.  "We  are  are  totally  cut  off  from 
the  rest  of  the  world  here." 

"Perhaps  not,"  spoke  Tom  Swift,  quietly.  He 
had  come  up  silently,  and  had  heard  the  conver- 
sation. 

"What's  that  you  said?"  cried  Mr.  Nestor, 
springing  to  his  feet,  and  crossing  the  sandy  beach 
toward  the  lad. 

"I  said  perhaps  we  weren't  altogether  cut  off 
from  the  rest  of  the  world,"  repeated  Torn. 

"Why  not,"  demanded  Captain  Mentor.  "You 
don't  mean  to  say  that  you  have  been  building  a 
boat  up  there  in  your  little  shack,  do  you?" 

"Not  a  boat,"  replied  Tom,  "but  I  think  I  have 
a  means  of  sending  out  a  call  for  help!" 

"Oh,    Tom — Mr.     Swift — how?"    exclaimed 


168     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Mrs.  Nestor.  "Do  you  mean  we  can  send  a  mes- 
sage to  my  Mary?" 

"Well,  not  exactly  to  her,"  answered  the  young 
inventor,  though  he  wished  that  such  a  thing, 
were  possible.  "But  I  think  I  can  summon  help." 

"How?"  demanded  Mr.  Hosbrook.  "Have 
you  managed  to  discover  some  cable  line  running 
past  the  island,  and  have  you  tapped  it?" 

"Not  exactly,"  was  Tom's  calm  answer,  "but 
I  have  succeeded,  with  the  help  of  Mr.  Damon 
and  Mr.  Fenwick,  in  building  an  apparatus  that 
will  send  out  wireless  messages!" 

"Wireless  messages !"  gasped  the  millionaire. 
"Are  you  sure?" 

"Wireless  messages!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Jenks. 

"I'll  give "  He  paused,  clasped  his  hands  on 

his  belt,  and  turned  away. 

"Oh,  Tom!"  cried  Mrs.  Nestor,  and  she  went 
up  to  the  lad,  threw  her  arms  about  his  neck,  and 
kissed  him ;  whereat  Tom  blushed. 

"Perhaps  you'd  better  explain,"  suggested  Mr. 
Anderson. 

"I  will,"  said  the  lad.  "That  is  the  secret  we 
have  been  engaged  upon — Mr.  Damon,  Mr.  Fen- 
wick  and  myself.  We  did  not  want  to  say  any- 
thing about  it  until  we  were  sure  we  could  suc- 
ceed." 


THE  WIRELESS  PLANT  169 

"And  are  you  sure  now  ?"  asked  Captain  Men- 
tor. 

"Fairly  so." 

"How  could  you  build  a  wireless  station?"  in- 
quired Mr.  Hosbrook. 

"From  the  electrical  machinery  that  was  in  the 
wrecked  Whizzer"  spoke  Tom.  "Fortunately, 
that  was  not  damaged  by  the  shock  of  the  fall, 
and  I  have  managed  to  set  up  the  gasolene  en- 
gine, and  attach  the  dynamo  to  it  so  that  we  can 
generate  a  powerful  current.  We  also  have  a 
fairly  good  storage  battery,  though  that  was 
slightly  damaged  by  the  fall. 

"I  have  just  tested  the  machinery,  and  I  think 
we  can  send  out  a  strong  enough  message  to  carry 
at  least  a  thousand  miles." 

"Then  that  will  reach  some  station,  or  some 
passing  ship,"  murmured  Captain  Mentor. 
"There  is  a  chance  that  we  may  be  saved." 

"If  it  isn't  too  late,"  gloomily  murmured  the 
scientist.  "There  is  no  telling  when  the  island 
will  disappear  beneath  the  sea." 

But  they  were  all  so  interested  in  Tom's  an- 
nouncement that  they  paid  little  attention  to  this 
dire  foreboding. 

"Tell  us  about  it,"  suggested  Mr.  Nestor.  And 
Tom  did. 

He  related  how  he  had  set  up  the  dynamo  and 


170     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

gasolene  engine,  and  how,  by  means  of  the  proper 
coils  and  other  electrical  apparatus,  all  of  which, 
fortunately,  was  aboard  the  Whizzer,  he  could 
produce  a  powerful  spark. 

"I  had  to  make  a  key  out  of  strips  of  brass, 
to  produce  the  Morse  characters,"  the  lad  said. 
"This  took  considerable  time,  but  it  works,  though 
it  is  rather  crude.  I  can  click  out  a  message 
with  it." 

"That  may  be,"  said  Mr.  Hosbrook,  who  had 
been  considering  installing  a  wireless  plant  on 
his  yacht,  and  who,  therefore,  knew  something 
about  it,  "you  may  send  a  message,  but  can  you 
receive  an  answer?" 

"I  have  also  provided  for  that,"  replied  Tom, 
"I  have  made  a  receiving  instrument,  though 
that  is  even  more  crude  than  the  sending  plant, 
for  it  had  to  be  delicately  adjusted,  and  I  did  not 
have  just  the  magnets,  carbons,  coherers  and 
needles  that  I  needed.  But  I  think  it  will  work." 

"Did  you  have  a  telephone  receiver  to  use?" 

"Yes.  There  was  a  small  interior  telephone 
arrangement  on  Mr.  Fenwick's  airship,  and  part 
of  that  came  in  handy.  Oh,  I  think  I  can  hear 
any  messages  that  may  come  in  answer  to  ours." 

"But  what  about  the  aerial  wires  for  sending 
and  receiving  messages?"  asked  Mr.  Nestor. 


THE  WIRELESS  PLANT  171 

Don't  you  have  to  have  several  wires  on  a  tall 
mast?" 

"Yes,  and  that  is  the  last  thing  to  do,"  declared 
Tom.  "I  need  all  your  help  in  putting  up  those 
wires.  That  tall  tree  on  the  crest  of  the  island 
will  do,"  and  he  pointed  to  a  dead  palm  that 
towered  gaunt  and  bare  like  a  ship's  mast,  on  a 
pile  of  rocks  in  the  centre  of  Earthquake  Island. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

MESSAGES   INTO   SPACE 

TOM  SWIFT'S  announcement  of  the  practical 
completion  of  his  wireless  plant  brought  hope  to 
the  discouraged  hearts  of  the  castaways.  They 
crowded  about  him,  and  asked  all  manner  of  ques- 
tions. 

Mr..  Fenwick  and  Mr.  Damon  came  in  for 
their  share  of  attention,  for  Tom  said  had  it  not 
been  for  the  aid  of  his  friends  he  never  could 
have  accomplished  what  he  did.  Then  they  all 
trooped  up  to  the  little  shack,  and  inspected  the 
plant. 

As  the  young  inventor  had  said,  it  was  neces- 
sarily crude,  but  when  he  set  the  gasolene  motor 
going,  and  the  dynamo  whizzed  and  hummed, 
sending  out  great,  violet-hued  sparks,  they  were 
all  convinced  that  the  young  inventor  had  ac- 
complished wonders,  considering  the  materials  at 
his  disposal. 

"But  it's  going  to  be  no  easy  task  to  rig  up 
172 


MESSAGES  INTO  SPACE  173 

the  sending  and  receiving  wires,"  declared  Tom. 
"That  will  take  some  time." 

"Have  you  got  the  wire?"  asked  Mr.  Jenks. 

"I  took  it  from  the  stays  of  the  airship,"  was 
Tom's  reply,  and  he  recalled  the  day  he  was  at, 
that  work,  when  the  odd  man  had  exhibited  the 
handful  of  what  he  said  were  diamonds.  Tom 
wondered  if  they  really  were,  and  he  speculated 
as  to  what  might  be  the  secret  of  Phantom  Moun- 
tain, to  which  Mr.  Jenks  had  referred. 

But  now  followed  a  busy  time  for  all.  Under 
the  direction  of  the  young  inventor,  they  began 
to  string  the  wires  from  the  top  of  the  dead  tree, 
to  a  smaller  one,  some  distance  away,  using  five 
wires,  set  parallel,  and  attached  to  a  wooden 
spreader,  or  stay.  The  wires  were  then  run  to 
the  dynamo,  and  the  receiving  coil,  and  the  neces- 
sary ground  wires  were  installed. 

"But  I  can't  understand  how  you  are  going  to 
do  it,"  said  Mrs.  Nestor.  "I've  read  about  wire- 
less messages,  but  I  can't  get  it  through  my  head. 
How  is  it  done,  Mr.  Swift?" 

"The  theory  is  very  simple,"  said  the  young  in- 
ventor. "To  send  a  message  by  wire,  over  a 
telegraph  system,  a  battery  or  dynamo  is  used. 
This  establisnes  a  current  over  wires  stretched 
between  two  points.  By  means  of  what  is  called 
&  'key'  this  current  is  interrupted,  or  broken,  at 


174 


TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 


certain  intervals,  making  the  sounding  instrument 
send  out  clicks.  A  short  click  is  called  a  dot,  and 
a  long  click  a  dash.  By  combinations  of  dots, 
dashes,  and  spaces  between  the  dots  and  dashes, 
letters  are  spelled  out.  For  instance,  a  dot  and 
a  space  and  a  dash,  represent  the  letter  'A'  and 
so  on." 

"I  understand  so  far,"  admitted  Mrs.  Nestor. 

"In  telegraphing  without  wires,"  went  on  Tom, 
"the  air  is  used  in  place  of  a  metallic  conductor, 
with  the  help  of  the  earth,  which  in  itself  is  a 
big  magnet,  or  a  battery,  as  you  choose  to  regard 
it.  The  earth  helps  to  establish  the  connection 
between  places  where  there  are  no  wires,  when 
we  'ground'  certain  conductors. 

"To  send  a  wireless  message  a  current  is  gen- 
erated by  a  dynamo.  The  current  flows  along 
until  it  gets  to  the  ends  of  the  sending  wires, 
which  we  have  just  strung.  Then  it  leaps  off  into 
space,  so  to  speak,  until  it  reaches  the  receiving 
wires,  wherever  they  may  be  erected.  That  is 
why  any  wireless  receiving  station,  within  a  cer- 
tain radius,  can  catch  any  messages  that  may  be 
flying  through  the  air — that  is  unless  certain  ap- 
paratus is  tuned,  or  adjusted,  to  prevent  this. 

"Well,  once  the  impulses,  or  electric  currents, 
are  sent  out  into  space,  all  that  is  necessary  to 
do  is  to  break,  or  interrupt  them  at  certain  inter- 


MESSAGES  INTO  SPACE  175 

vals,  to  make  dots,  dashes  and  spaces.  These 
make  corresponding  clicks  in  the  telephone  re- 
ceiver which  the  operator  at  the  receiving  station 
wears  on  his  ear.  He  hears  the  code  of  clicks, 
and  translates  them  into  letters,  the  letters  into 
words  and  the  words  into  sentences.  That  is 
how  wireless  messages  are  sent." 

"And  do  you  propose  to  send  some  that  way  ?" 
asked  Mrs.  Anderson. 

"I  do,"  replied  Tom,  with  a  smile. 

"Where  to  ?"  Mrs.  Nestor  wanted  to  know. 

"That's  what  I  can't  tell,"  was  Tom's  reply. 
"I  will  have  to  project  them  off  into  space,  and 
trust  to  chancethat  some  listening  wireless  opera- 
tor will  'pick  them  up,'  as  they  call  it,  and  send 
us  aid." 

"But  are  wireless  operators  always  listening?" 
asked  Mr.  Nestor. 

"Somewhere,  some  of  them  are — I  hope,"  was 
Tom's  quiet  answer.  "As  I  said,  we  will  have 
to  trust  much  to  chance.  But  other  people  have 
been  saved  by  sending  messages  off  into  space; 
and  why  not  we?  Sinking  steamers  have  had 
their  passengers  taken  off  when  the  operator 
called  for  help,  merely  by  sending  a  message  into 
space." 

"But  how  can  we  tell  them  where  to  come  for 


176     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

us — on  this  unknown  island?"  inquired  Mrs.  An- 
derson. 

"I  fancy  Captain  Mentor  can  supply  our  longi- 
tude and  latitude,"  answered  Tom.  "I  will  give 
that  with  every  message  I  send  out,  and  help  may 
come — some  day." 

"It  can't  come  any  too  quick  for  me !"  declared 
Mr.  Damon.  "Bless  my  door  knob,  but  my  wife 
must  be  worrying  about  my  absence !" 

"What  message  for  help  will  you  send?"  Cap- 
tain Mentor  wanted  to  know. 

"I  am  going  to  use  the  old  call  for  aid,"  was 
the  reply  of  the  young  inventor.  "I  shall  flash 
into  space  the  three  letters  'C.  Q.  D.'  They  stand 
for  'Come  Quick — Danger.'  A  new  code  call  has 
been  instituted  for  them,  but  I  am  going  to  rely 
on  the  old  one,  as,  in  this  part  of  the  world,  the 
new  one  may  not  be  so  well  understood.  Then 
I  will  follow  that  by  giving  our  position  in  the 
ocean,  as  nearly  as  Captain  Mentor  can  figure 
it  out.  I  will  repeat  this  call  at  intervals  until 
we  get  help " 

"Or  until  the  island  sinks,"  added  the  scien- 
tist, grimly. 

"Here!  Don't  mention  that  any  more,"  or- 
dered Mr.  Hosbrook.  "It's  getting  on  my 
nerves!  We  may  be  rescued  before  that  awful 
calamity  overtakes  us." 


MESSAGES  INTO  SPACE  177 

"I  don't  believe  so,"  was  Mr.  Parker's  reply, 
and  he  actually  seemed  to  derive  pleasure  from 
his  gloomy  prophecy. 

"It's  lucky  you  understand  wireless  telegraphy, 
Tom  Swift,"  said  Mr.  Nestor  admiringly,  and 
the  others  joined  in  praising  the  young  inventor, 
until,  blushing,  he  hurried  off  to  make  some  ad- 
justments to  his  apparatus. 

"Can  you  compute  our  longitude  and  latitude, 
Captain  Mentor,"  asked  the  millionaire  yacht 
owner. 

"I  think  so,"  was  the  reply.  "Not  very  ac- 
curately, of  course,  for  all  my  papers  and  instru- 
ments went  down  in  the  Resolute.  But  near 
enough  for  the  purpose,  I  fancy.  I'll  get  right 
to  work  at  it,  and  let  Mr.  Swift  have  it." 

"I  wish  you  would.  The  sooner  we  begin  call- 
ing for  help  the  better.  I  never  expected  to  be 
in  such  a  predicament  as  this,  but  it  is  wonderful 
how  that  young  fellow  worked  out  his  plan  of 
rescue.  I  hope  he  succeeds." 

It  took  some  little  time  for  the  commander  to 
figure  their  position,  and  then  it  was  only  approxi- 
mate. But  at  length  he  handed  Tom  a  piece  o( 
paper  with  the  latitude  and  longitude  written 
on  it. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  young  inventor  had  been 
connecting  up  his  apparatus.  The  wires  were 


1/3     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

now  all  strung,  and  all  that  was  necessary  was 
to  start  the  motor  and  dynamo. 

A  curious  throng  gathered  about  the  little  shack 
as  Tom  announced  that  he  was  about  to  flash 
•nto  space  the  first  message  calling  for  help.  He 
took  his  place  at  the  box,  to  which  had  been  fas- 
tened the  apparatus  for  clicking  off  the  Morse 
letters. 

"Well,  here  we  go,"  he  said,  with  a  smile. 

His  fingers  clasped  the  rude  key  he  had 
fashioned  from  bits  of  brass  and  hard  rubber. 
The  motor  was  buzzing  away,  and  the  electric 
dynamo  was  purring  like  some  big  cat. 

Just  as  Tom  opened  the  circuit,  to  send  the  cur- 
rent into  the  instrument,  there  came  an  omnious 
rumbling  of  the  earth. 

"Another  quake!"  screamed  Mrs.  Anderson. 
But  it  was  over  in  a  second,  and  calmness  suc- 
ceeded the  incipient  panic. 

Suddenly,  overhead,  there  sounded  a  queer 
crackling  noise,  a  vicious,  snapping,  as  if  from 
some  invisible  whips. 

"Mercy !    What's  that  ?"  cried  Mrs.  Nestor. 

"The  wireless,"  replied  Tom,  quietly.  "I  am 
going  to  send  a  message  for  help,  off  into  space. 
I  hope  some  one  receives  it — and  answers,"  he 
added,  in  a  low  tone. 

The  crackling  increased.    While  they  gathered 


MESSAGES  INTO  SPACE  179 

about  him,  Tom  Swift  pressed  the  key,  making 
and  breaking  the  current  until  he  had  sent  out 
from  Earthquake  Island  the  three  letters — 
"C.  Q.  D."  And  he  followed  them  by  giving 
their  latitude  and  longitude.  Over  and  over  again 
he  flashed  out  this  message. 

Would  it  be  answered?  Would  help  come? 
If  so,  from  where?  And  if  so,  would  it  be  in 
time?  These  were  questions  that  the  castaways 
asked  themselves.  As  for  Tom,  he  sat  at  the  key, 
clicking  away,  while,  overhead,  from  the  wires 
fastened  to  the  dead  tree,  flashed  out  the  mes- 
sages. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

ANXIOUS    DAYS 

AFTER  the  first  few  minutes  of  watching 
Tom  click  out  the  messages,  the  little  throng 
of  castaways  that  had  gathered  about  the 
shack,  moved  away.  The  matter  had  lost  its 
novelty  for  them,  though,  of  course,  they  were 
vitally  interested  in  the  success  of  Tom's  under- 
taking. Only  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Fenwick  re- 
mained with  the  young  inventor,  for  he  needed 
help,  occasionally,  in  operating  the  dynamo,  or 
in  adjusting  the  gasolene  motor.  Mrs.  Nestor, 
who,  with  Mrs.  Anderson,  was  looking  after  the 
primitive  housekeeping  arrangements,  occasion- 
ally strolled  up  the  hill  to  the  little  shed. 

"Any  answer  yet,  Mr.  Swift?"  she  would  ask. 

"No,"  was  the  reply.  "We  can  hardly  expect 
any  so  soon,"  and  Mrs.  Nestor  would  depart,  with 
a  sigh. 

Knowing  that  his  supply  of  gasolene  was 
limited,  Tom  realized  that  he  could  not  run  the 
180 


ANXIOUS  DAYS  l8l 

3ynamo  steadily,  and  keep  flashing  the  wireless 
messages  into  space.  He  consulted  with  his  two 
friends  on  the  subject,  and  Mr.  Damon  said : 

"Well,  the  best  plan,  I  think,  would  be  only  to 
send  out  the  flashes  over  the  wires  at  times  when 
other  wireless  operators  will  be  on  the  lookout, 
or,  rather,  listening.  There  is  no  use  wasting 
our  fuel.  We  can't  get  any  more  here." 

"That's  true,"  admitted  Tom,  "but  how  can  we 
pick  out  any  certain  time,  when  we  can  be  sure 
that  wireless  operators,  within  a  zone  of  a  thou- 
sand miles,  will  be  listening  to  catch  clicks  which 
call  for  help  from  the  unknown?" 

"We  can't,"  decided  Mr.  Fenwick.  "The  only 
thing  to  do  is  to  trust  to  chance.  If  there  was 
only  some  way  so  you  would  not  have  to  be  on 
duty  all  the  while,  and  could  send  out  messages 
automatically,  it  would  be  good." 

"Tom  shook  his  head.  "I  have  to  stay  here  to 
adjust  the  apparatus,"  he  said.  "It  works  none 
too  easily  as  it  is,  for  I  didn't  have  just  what  I 
needed  from  which  to  construct  this  station. 
Anyhow,  even  if  I  could  rig  up  something  to 
click  out  'C.  Q.  D.'  automatically,  I  could  hardly 
arrange  to  have  the  answer  come  that  way.  And 
I  want  to  be  here  when  the  answer  comes." 

"Have  you  any  plan,  then  ?"  asked  Mr.  Damon. 


182     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"Bless  my  shoe  laces !  there  are  enough  problems 
to  solve  on  this  earthquake  island." 

"I  thought  of  this,'  said  Tom.  "I'll  send  out 
our  call  for  help  from  nine  to  ten  in  the  morning. 
Then  I'll  wait,  and  send  out  another  call  from 
two  to  three  in  the  afternoon.  Around  seven 
in  the  evening  I'll  try  again,  and  then  about  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  before  going  to  bed." 

"That  ought  to  be  sufficient,"  agreed  Mr.- 
Fen  wick.  "Certainly  we  must  save  our  gasolene, 
for  there  is  no  telling  how  long  we  may  have  to 
stay  here,  and  call  for  help." 

"It  won't  be  long  if  that  scientist  Parker  has 
his  way,"  spoke  Mr.  Damon,  grimly.  "Bless  my 
hat  band,  but  he's  a  most  uncomfortable  man  to 
have  around ;  always  predicting  that  the  island  is 
going  to  sink !  I  hope  we  are  rescued  before  that 
happens." 

"I  guess  we  all  do,"  remarked  Mr.  Fenwick, 
"But,  Tom,  here  is  another  matter.  Have  you 
thought  about  getting  an  answer  from  the  un- 
known— from  some  ship  or  wireless  station,  that 
may  reply  to  your  calls  ?  How  can  you  tell  when 
that  will  come  in  ?" 

;<I  can't. 

"Then  won't  you  or  some  of  us,  have  to  be 
listening  all  the  while  ?" 

"No,  for  I  think  an  answer  will  come  only  di- 


ANXIOUS  DAYS  183 

rectly  after  I  have  sent  out  a  call,  and  it  has  been 
picked  up  by  some  operator.  Still  there  is  a  pos- 
sibility that  some  operator  might  receive  my  mes- 
sage, and  report  to  his  chief,  or  some  one  in 
authority  over  him,  before  replying.  In  that  time 
I  might  go  away.  But  to  guard  against  that  I 
will  sleep  with  the  telephone  receiver  clamped  to 
my  ear.  Then  I  can  hear  the  answer  come  over 
the  wires,  and  can  jump  up  and  reply." 

"Do  you  mean  you  will  sleep  here?"  asked  Mr. 
Damon,  indicating  the  shack  where  the  wireless 
apparatus  was  contained. 

''Yes,"  answered  Tom,  simply. 

"Can't  we  take  turns  listening  for  the  answer  ?" 
inquired  Mr.  Fenwick,  "and  so  relieve  you?" 

"I'm  afraid  not,  unless  you  understand  the 
Morse  code,"  replied  Tom.  "You  see  there  may 
be  many  clicks,  which  result  from  wireless  mes- 
sages flying  back  and  forth  in  space,  and  my  re- 
ceiver will  pick  them  up.  But  they  will  mean 
nothing.  Only  the  answer  to  our  call  for  help 
will  be  of  any  service  to  us." 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  can  catch  mes- 
sages flying  back  and  forth  between  stations 
now?"  asked  Mr.  Fenwick. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  young  inventor,  with  a  smile. 
"Here,  listen  for  yourself,  and  he  passed  the 


184     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

head-instrument  over  to  the  Whizzer's  former 
owner.  The  latter  listened  a  moment. 

"All  I  can  hear  are  some  faint  clicks,"  he 
said. 

"But  they  are  a  message,"  spoke  Tom.  "Wait, 
I'll  translate,"  and  he  put  the  receiver  to  his 
ear.  "  'Steamship  "Falcon"  reports  a  slight  fire 
in  her  forward  compartment,'  "  said  Tom,  slowly. 
fe  'It  is  under  control,  and  we  will  proceed.'  " 

"Do  you  mean  to  say  that  was  the  message  you 
heard?"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless  my  soul,  I 
never  can  understand  it!" 

"It  was  part  of  a  message,"  answered  Tom. 
"I  did  not  catch  it  all,  nor  to  whom  it  was  sent." 

"But  why  can't  you  send  a  message  to  that 
steamship  then,  and  beg  them  to  come  to  our 
aid?"  asked  Mr.  Fenwick.  "Even  if  they  have 
had  a  fire,  it  is  out  now,  and  they  ought  to  be  glad 
to  save  life." 

"They  would  come  to  our  aid,  or  send,"  spoke 
Tom,  "but  I  can  not  make  their  wireless  operator 
pick  up  our  message.  Either  his  apparatus  is 
not  in  tune,  or  in  accord  with  ours,  or  he  is  be- 
yond our  zone." 

"But  you  heard  him,"  insisted  Mr.  Damon. 

"Yes,  but  sometimes  it  is  easier  to  pick  up  mes- 
sages than  it  is  to  send  them.  However,  I  will 
keep  on  trying." 


ANXIOUS  DAYS  185 

Putting  into  operation  the  plan  he  had  de- 
cided on  for  saving  their  supply  of  gasolene,  Tom 
sent  out  his  messages  the  remainder  of  the  day, 
at  the  intervals  agreed  upon.  Then  the  apparatus 
was  shut  down,  but  the  lad  paid  frequent  visits 
to  the  shack,  and  listened  to  the  clicks  of  the  tele- 
phone receiver.  He  caught  several  messages,  but 
they  were  not  in  response  to  his  appeals  for  aid 

That  night  there  was  a  slight  earthquake  shock, 
but  no  more  of  the  island  fell  into  the  sea,  though 
the  castaways  were  awakened  by  the  tremors, 
and  were  in  mortal  terror  for  a  while. 

Three  days  passed,  days  of  anxious  waiting, 
during  which  time  Tom  sent  out  message  after 
message  by  his  wireless,  and  waited  in  vain  for 
an  answer.  There  were  three  shocks  in  this  in- 
terval, two  slight,  and  one  very  severe,  which  last 
cast  into  the  ocean  a  great  cliff  on  the  far  end 
of  the  island.  There  was  a  flooding  rush  of 
water,  but  no  harm  resulted. 

"It  is  coming  nearer,"  said  Mr.  Parker. 

"What  is?"  demanded  Mr.  Hosbrook. 

"The  destruction  of  our  island.  My  theory 
Jvill  soon  be  confirmed,"  and  the  scientist  actu- 
ally seemed  to  take  pleasure  in  it. 

"Oh,  you  and  your  theory!"  exclaimed  the 
millionaire  in  disgust.  "Don't  let  me  hear  you 
mention  it  again !  Haven't  we  troubles  enough  ?" 


186     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

whereat  Mr.  Parker  went  off  by  himself,  to  look 
at  the  place  where  the  cliff  had  fallen. 

Each  night  Tom  slept  with  the  telephone  re- 
ceiver to  his  ear,  but,  though  it  clicked  many 
times,  there  was  not  sounded  the  call  he  had 
adopted  for  his  station — "E.  I." — Earthquake 
Island.  In  each  appeal  he  sent  out  he  had  re- 
quested that  if  his  message  was  picked  up,  thai 
the  answer  be  preceded  by  the  letters  "E.  I." 

It  was  on  the  fourth  day  after  the  completion 
of  the  wireless  station,  that  Tom  was  sending  out 
his  morning  calls.  Mrs.  Nestor  came  up  the  little 
hill  to  the  shack  where  Tom  was  clicking  away. 

"No  replies  yet,  I  suppose  ?"  she  inquired,  and 
ihere  was  a  hopeless  note  in  her  voice. 

"None  yet,  but  they  may  come  any  minute"" 
and  Tom  tried  to  speak  cheerfully. 

"I  certainly  hope  so,"  added  Mary's  mother. 
"But  I  came  up  more  especially  now,  Mr.  Swift, 
to  inquire  where  you  had  stored  the  rest  of  the 
food." 

"The  rest  of  the  food?" 

"Yes,  the  supply  you  took  from  the  wrecked 
airship.  We  have  used  up  nearly  all  that  was 
piled  in  the  improvised  kitchen,  and  we'll  have  to 
draw  on  the  reserve  supply." 

"The  reserve,"  murmured  Tom. 

"Yes,  there  is  only  enough  in  the  shack  where 


ANXIOUS  DAYS  187 

Mrs.  Anderson  and  I  do  the  cooking,  to  last  for 
shout  two  days.  Isn't  there  any  more?" 

Tom  did  not  answer.  He  saw  the  drift  of  the 
questioning.  Their  food  was  nearly  gone,  yet  the 
castaways  from  the  Resolute  thought  there  was 
still  plenty.  As  a  matter  of  fact  there  was  not 
another  can,  except  those  in  the  kitchen  shack. 

"Get  out  wherever  there  is  left  some  time  to- 
day, if  you  will,  Mr.  Swift,"  went  on  Mrs.  Nes- 
tor, as  she  turned  away,  "and  Mrs.  Anderson  and 
I  will  see  if  we  can  fix  up  some  new  dishes  for 
you  men-folks." 

"Oh — all  right,"  answered  Tom,  weakly. 

His  hand  dropped  from  the  key  of  the  instru- 
ment. He  sat  staring  into  space.  Food  enough 
for  but  two  days  more,  with  earthquakes  likely 
to  happen  at  any  moment,  and  no  reply  yet  to  his 
appeals  for  aid !  Truly  the  situation  was  des- 
perate. Tom  shook  his  head.  It  was  the  first 
time  he  had  felt  like  giving  up. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

A   REPLY    IN   THE   DARK 

THE  young  inventor  looked  out  of  the  wire- 
less shack.  Down  on  the  beach  he  saw  the  little 
band  of  castaways.  They  were  gathered  in  a 
group  about  Mr.  Jenks,  who  seemed  to  be  talking 
earnestly  to  them.  The  two  ladies  were  over 
near  the  small  building  that  served  as  a  kitchen. 

"More  food  supplies  needed,  eh  ?"  mused  Tom. 
"Well,  I  don't  know  where  any  more  is  to  come 
from.  We've  stripped  the  Whizzer  bare."  He 
glanced  toward  what  remained  of  the  airship. 
"I  guess  we'll  have  to  go  on  short  rations,  until 
help  comes,"  and,  wondering  what  the  group  of 
men  could  be  talking  about,  Tom  resumed  his 
clicking  out  of  his  wireless  message. 

He  continued  to  send  it  into  space  for  several 
minutes  after  ten  o'clock,  the  hour  at  which  he 
usually  stopped  for  the  morning,  for  he  thought 
there  might  be  a  possible  chance  that  the  electrical 
impulses  would  be  picked  up  by  some  vessel  fal 
188 


rA  REPLY  IN  THE  DARK  igg 

out  at  sea,  or  by  some  station  operator  who 
could  send  help. 

But  there  came  no  answering  clicks  to  the  "E. 
I."  station — to  Earthquake  Island — and.  after  a 
little  longer  working  of  the  key,  Tom  shut  down 
the  dynamo,  and  joined  the  group  on  the  beach. 

"I  tell  you  it's  our  only  chance,"  Mr.  Jenks 
was  saying.  "I  must  get  off  this  island,  and  that's 
the  only  way  we  can  do  it.  I  have  large  interests 
at  stake.  If  we  wait  for  a  reply  to  this  wireless 
message  we  may  all  be  killed,  though  I  appre- 
ciate that  Mr  Swift  is  doing  his  best  to  aid  us. 
But  it  is  hopeless !" 

"What  do  you  think  about  it,  Tom?"  asked 
Mr.  Damon,  turning  to  the  young  inventor. 

"Think  about  what?" 

"Why  Mr.  Jenks  has  just  proposed  that  we 
build  a  big  raft,  and  launch  it.  He  thinks  we 
should  leave  the  island." 

"It  might  be  a  good  idea,"  agreed  the  lad, 
as  he  thought  of  the  scant  food  supply.  Of 
course,  I  can't  say  when  a  reply  will  be  received 
to  my  calls  for  aid,  and  it  is  best  to  be  prepared." 

"Especially  as  the  island  may  sink  any  minute," 
added  Mr.  Parker.  "If  it  does,  even  a  raft  will 
be  little  good,  as  it  may  be  swamped  in  the  vor- 
tex. I  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to  make  one, 
then  anchor  it  some  distance  out  from  the  island. 


igo     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

Then  we  can  make  a  small  raft,  and  paddle  out 
to  the  big  one  in  a  hurry  if  need  be." 

"Yes,  that's  a  good  idea,  too,"  conceded  Tom. 

"And  we  must  stock  it  well  with  provisions," 
said  Mr.  Damon.  "Put  plenty  of  water  and  food 
aboard." 

"We  can't,"  spoke  Tom,  quietly. 

"Why  not?" 

"Because  we  haven't  plenty  of  provisions. 
That's  what  I  came  down  to  speak  about,"  and 
the  lad  related  what  Mrs.  Nestor  had  said. 

"Then  there  is  but  one  thing  to  do,"  declared 
Mr.  Fenwick. 

"What?"  asked  Captain  Mentor. 

"We  must  go  on  half  rations,  or  quarter  ra- 
tions, if  need  be.  That  will  make  our  supply  last 
longer.  And  another  thing — we  must  not  let 
the  women  folks  know.  Just  pretend  that  we're 
not  hungry,  but  take  only  a  quarter,  or  at  most, 
not  more  than  a  half  of  what  we  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  taking.  There  is  plenty  of  water, 
thank  goodness,  and  we  may  be  able  to  live  until 
help  comes." 

"Then  shall  we  build  the  raft?"  asked  Mr.  Hos- 
brook. 

It  was  decided  that  this  would  be  a  good  plan, 
and  they  started  it  that  same  day.  Trees  were 
felled,  with  axes  and  saws  that  had  been  aboard 


rA  REPLY  IN  THE  DARK  191 

the  Whiszer,  and  bound  together,  in  rude  fashion, 
with  strong  trailing  vines  from  the  forest.  A 
smaller  raft,  as  a  sort  of  ferry,  was  also  made. 

This  occupied  them  all  that  day,  and  part  of 
the  next.  In  the  meanwhile,  Tom  continued  to 
flash  out  his  appeals  for  help,  but  no  answers 
came.  The  men  cut  down  their  rations,  and  when 
the  two  ladies  joked  them  on  their  lack  of  appe- 
tite, they  said  nothing.  Tom  was  glad  that  Mrs. 
Nestor  did  not  renew  her  request  to  him  to  get 
out  the  reserve  food  supply  from  what  remained 
in  the  wreck  of  the  airship.  Perhaps  Mr.  Nes- 
tor had  hinted  to  her  the  real  situation. 

The  large  raft  was  towed  out  into  a  quiet  bay 
*f  the  island,  and  anchored  there  by  means  of  a 
Heavy  rock,  attached  to  a  rope.  On  board  were 
put  cans -of  water,  which  were  lashed  fast,  but 
no  food  could  be  spared  to  stock  the  rude  craft 
All  the  castaways  could  depend  on,  was  to  take 
with  them,  in  the  event  of  the  island  beginning 
to  sink,  what  rations  they  had  left  when  the  final 
shock  should  come. 

This  done,  they  could  only  wait,  and  weary 
was  that  waiting.  Tom  kept  faithfully  to  hit 
schedule,  and  his  ear  ached  from  the  constant 
pressure  of  the  telephone  receiver.  He  heard 
message  after  message  flash  through  space,  and 
click  on  his  instrument,  but  none  of  them  was  in 


192     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

answer  to  his.  On  his  face  there  came  a  grini 
and  hopeless  look. 

One  afternoon,  a  week  following  the  erection 
of  the  wireless  station,  Mate  Fordam  came  upon 
a  number  of  turtles.  He  caught  some,  by  turning 
them  over  on  their  backs,  and  also  located  a  num- 
ber of  nests  of  eggs  under  the  warm  sands. 

"This  will  be  something  to  eat,"  he  said,  joy- 
fully, and  indeed  the  turtles  formed  a  welcome 
food  supply.  Some  fish  were  caught,  and  some 
clams  were  cast  up  by  the  tide,  all  of  which  eked 
out  the  scanty  food  supply  that  remained.  The 
two  ladies  suspected  the  truth  now,  and  they, 
too,  cut  down  their  allowance. 

Tom,  who  had  been  sitting  with  the  men  in 
their  sleeping  shack,  that  evening,  rose,  as  the 
hour  of  ten  approached.  It  was  time  to  send  out 
the  last  message  of  the  night,  and  then  he  would 
lie  down  on  an  improvised  couch,  with  the  tele- 
phone receiver  clamped  to  his  ear,  to  wait,  in 
the  silence  of  the  darkness,  for  the  message  say- 
ing that  help  was  on  the  way. 

"Well,  are  you  off?"  asked  Mr.  Damon,  kindly. 
"I  wish  some  of  us  could  relieve  you,  Tom." 

"Oh,  I  don't  mind  it,"  answered  the  lad  "Per- 
haps the  message  may  come  to-night." 

Hardly  had  he  spoken  than  there  sounded  the 
ominous  rumble  and  shaking  that  presaged  an- 


'A  REPLY  IN  THE  DARK  193 

other  earthquake.  The  shack  rocked,  and  threat- 
ened to  come  down  about  their  heads. 

"We  must  be  doomed!"  cried  Mr.  Parker. 
"The  island  is  about  to  sink!  Make  for  the 
raft!" 

"Wait  and  see  how  bad  it  is,"  counseled  Mr. 
Hosbrook.  "It  may  be  only  a  slight  shock." 

Indeed,  as  he  spoke,  the  trembling  of  the  island 
ceased,  and  there  was  silence.  The  two  ladies, 
who  had  retired  to  their  own  private  shack,  ran 
out  screaming,  and  Mr.  Anderson  and  Mr.  Nes- 
tor hastened  over  to  be  with  their  wives. 

"I  guess  it's  passed  over,"  spoke  Mr.  Fen- 
wick. 

An  instant  later  there  came  another  tremor, 
but  it  was  not  like  that  of  an  earthquake  shock. 
It  was  more  like  the  rumble  and  vibration  of  an 
approaching  train. 

"Look !"  cried  Tom,  pointing  to  the  left  Their 
gaze  went  m  that  direction,  and,  under  the  light 
of  a  full  moon  they  saw,  sliding  into  the  sea,  a 
great  portion  of  one  of  the  rocky  hills. 

"A  landslide!"  cried  Captain  Mentor.  "The 
island  is  slowly  breaking  up.' 

"It  confirms  my  theory!"  said  Mr.  Parker, 
almost  in  triumph. 

"Forget  your  theory  for  a  while,  Parker, 
please,"  begged  Mr.  Hosbrook.  "We're  lucky 


J94     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

to  have  left  a  place  on  which  to  stand !  Oh,  when 
will  we  be  rescued?"  he  asked  hopelessly. 

The  worst  seemed  to  be  over  at  least  for  the 
present,  and,  learning  that  the  two  ladies  were 
quieted,  Tom  started  up  the  hill  to  his  wireless 
station.  Mr.  Damon  and  Mr.  Fenwick  went 
with  him,  to  aid  in  starting  the  motor  and 
dynamo.  Then,  after  the  message  had  been 
clicked  out  as  usual  Tom  would  begin  his  weary 
waiting. 

They  found  that  the  earthquake  shock  had 
slightly  disturbed  the  apparatus,  and  it  took  them 
half  an  hour  to  adjust  it.  As  there  had  been  a 
delay  on  account  of  the  landslide,  it  was  eleven 
o'clock  before  Tom  began  sending  out  any  flashes, 
and  he  kept  it  up  until  midnight.  But  there  came 
no  replies,  so  he  shut  off  the  power,  and  pre- 
pared to  get  a  little  rest 

"It  looks  pretty  hopeless;  doesn't  it?"  said  Mr. 
Fenwick,  as  he  and  Mr.  Damon  were  on  their 
way  back  to  the  sleeping  shack. 

"Yes,  it  does.  Our  signal  hasn't  been  seen, 
no  ships  have  passed  this  way,  and  our  wireless 
appeal  isn't  answered.  It  does  look  hopeless  but, 
do  you  know,  I  haven't  given  up  yet." 

"Why  not?" 

"Because  I  have  faith  in  Tom  Swift's  luck!" 
declared  the  eccentric  man.  "If  you  had  been 


A  REPLY  IN  THE  DARK  195 

with  him  as  much  as  I  have,  up  in  the  air,  and 
under  the  water,  and  had  seen  the  tight  places 
he  has  gotten  out  of,  you'd  feel  the  same,  too!" 

"Perhaps,  but  here  there  doesn't  seem  to  be 
anything  to  do.  It  all  depends  on  some  one  else." 

"That's  all  right.  You  leave  it  to  Tom.  He'll 
get  an  answer  yet,  you  see  if  he  doesn't." 


It  was  an  hour  past  midnight.  Tom  tossed 
uneasily  on  the  hard  bed  in  the  wireless  shack. 
The  telephone  receiver  on  his  ear  hurt  him,  and 
he  could  not  sleep. 

"I  may  as  well  sit  up  for  a  while,"  he  told  him- 
self, and  he  arose.  In  the  dimness  of  the  shack 
he  could  see  the  outlines  of  the  dynamo  and  the 
motor. 

"Guess  I'll  start  her  up,  and  send  out  some 
calls,"  he  murmured.  "I  might  just  happen  to 
catch  some  ship  operator  who  is  up  late.  I'll  try 
it." 

The  young  inventor  started  the  motor,  and 
soon  the  dynamo  was  purring  away.  He  tested 
the  wireless  apparatus.  It  shot  out  great  long 
sparks,  which  snapped  viciously  through  the  air. 
Then,  in  the  silence  of  the  night,  Tom  clicked 


196     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

off  his  call  for  help  for  the  castaways  of  Earth- 
quake Island. 

For  half  an  hour  he  sent  it  away  into  space, 
none  of  the  others  in  their  shacks  below  him, 
awakening.  Then  Tom,  having  worked  off  his 
restless  fit,  was  about  to  return  to  bed. 

But  what  was  this  ?  What  was  that  clicking  in 
the  telephone  receiver  at  his  ear?  He  listened. 
It  was  not  a  jumble  of  dots  and  dashes,  convey- 
ing through  space  a  message  that  meant  nothing 
to  him.  No!  It  was  his  own  call  that  was  an- 
swered. The  call  of  his  station — "E.  I." — Earth- 
quake Island! 
1  "Where  are  you?  Whafs  wanted?" 

That  was  the  message  that  was  clicked  to  Tom 
from  somewhere  in  the  great  void. 

"I  get  your  message  'E.  If  What's  wanted? 
Do  I  hear  you  right?  Repeat/'  Tom  heard  those 
questions  in  the  silence  of  the  night. 

With  trembling  fingers  Tom  pressed  his  own 
key.  Out  into  the  darkness  went  his  call  for 
help. 

"We  are  on  Earthquake  Island."  He  gave  the 
longitude  and  latitude.  "Come  quickly  or  we  will 
be  engulfed  in  the  sea!  We  are  castaways  from 
the  yacht  'Resolute'  and  the  airship  'Whiszer! 
Can  you  save  us?" 

Came  then  this  query: 


A  REPLY  IN  THE  DARK  vg 

"What's  that  about  airship?" 

"Never  mind  airship,"  clicked  Tom.  "Send 
help  quickly!  Who  are  you?" 

The  answer  flashed  to  him  through  space : 

"Steamship  'Cambaranian'  from  Rio  de  Janei- 
ro to  New  York.  Just  caught  your  message. 
Thought  it  a  fake." 

"No  fake,"  Tom  sent  back.  "Help  us  quickly! 
How  soon  can  you  come?" 

There  was  a  wait,  and  the  wireless  operator 
clicked  to  Tom  that  he  had  called  the  captain. 
Then  came  the  report: 

"We  will  be  there  within  twenty-four  hours. 
Keep  in  communication  with  us" 

"You  bet  I  will"  flashed  back  Tom,  his  heart 
beating  joyously,  and  then  he  let  out  a  great 
shout.  "We  are  saved!  We  are  saved  1  My 
wireless  message  is  answered!  A  steamer  is 
on  her  way  to  rescue  us!" 

He  rushed  from  the  shack,  calling  to  the  others. 

"What's  that?"  demanded  Mr.  Hosbrook. 

Tom  briefly  told  of  how  the  message  had  come 
to  him  in  the  night. 

"Tell  them  to  hurry,"  begged  the  rich  yacht 
owner.  "Say  that  I  will  give  twenty  thousand 
dollars  reward  if  we  are  taken  off!" 

"And  I'll  do  the  same,"  cried  Mr.  Jenks.  "I 
must  get  to  the  place  where "  Then  ha 


198     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

seemed  to  recollect  himself,  and  stopped  suddenly. 
"Tell  them  to  hurry,"  he  begged  Tom.  The 
whole  crowd  of  castaways,  save  the  women,  were 
gathered  about  the  wireless  shack. 

'They'll  need  to  hurry,"  spoke  Mr.  Parker,  the 
gloomy  scientist.  "The  island  may  sink  before 
morning !" 

Mr.  Hosbrook  and  the  others  glared  at  him, 
but  he  seemed  to  take  delight  in  his  prediction. 

Suddenly  the  wireless  instruments  hummed. 

"Another  message,"  whispered  Tom.  He  lis- 
tened. 

"The  'Cainbaranian'  will  rush  here  with  all 
speed,"  he  announced,  and  not  a  heart  there  on 
that  lonely  and  desolate  island  but  sent  up  a 
prayer  of  thankfulness. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

"WE  ARE  LOST!" 

THERE  was  little  more  sleep  for  any  one  that 
night.  They  sat  up,  talking  over  the  wonderful 
and  unexpected  outcome  of  Tom  Swift's  wireless 
message,  and  speculating  as  to  when  the  steamer 
would  get  there. 

"Bless  my  pocket  comb!  But  I  told  you  it 
would  come  out  all  right,  if  we  left  it  to  Tom  I" 
declared  Mr.  Damon. 

"But  it  hasn't  come  out  yet,"  remarked  the 
pessimistic  scientist  "The  steamer  may  arrive 
too  late.' 

"You're  a  cheerful  sort  of  fellow  to  take  on  a 
yachting  trip,"  murmured  Mr.  Hosbrook,  sar- 
castically. "I'll  never  invite  you  again,  even  if 
you  are  a  great  scientist." 

"I'm  going  to  sit  and  watch  for  the  steamer," 

declared  Mr.   Damon,  as  he  went  outside  the 

shack.    The  night  was  warm,  and  there  was  a  full 

moon.    "Which  way  will  she  come  from,  Tom?" 

199 


200     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGh 

"I  don't  know,  but  I  should  think,  that  if  she 
was  on  her  way  north,  from  South  America, 
she'd  pass  on  the  side  of  the  island  on  which  we 
now  are." 

"That's  right,"  agreed  Captain  Mentor. 
"She'll  come  up  from  over  there,"  and  he  pointed 
across  the  ocean  directly  in  front  of  the  shacks 
and  camp. 

"Then  I'm  going  to  see  if  I  can't  be  the  first 
to  sight  her  lights,  declared  Mr.  Damon. 

"She  can't  possibly  get  here  inside  of  a  day, 
according  to  what  the  operator  said,"  declared 
Tom. 

"Wire  them  to  put  on  all  the  speed  they  can,'* 
urged  the  eccentric  man. 

"No,  don't  waste  any  more  power  or  energy 
than  is  needed,"  suggested  Mr.  Hosbrook.  "You 
may  need  the  gasolene  before  we  are  rescued. 
They  are  on  their  way,  and  that  is  enough  for 
now." 

The  others  agreed  with  this,  and  so  Tom,  after 
a  final  message  to  the  operator  aboard  the  Cam- 
baranian  stating  that  he  would  call  him  up  in  the 
morning,  shut  down  the  motor. 

Mr.  Damon  took  up  his  position  where  he  could 
see  far  out  over  the  ocean,  but,  as  the  young  in- 
ventor had  said,  there  was  no  possible  chance  of 


"WE  ARE  LOST!"  2OI 

sighting  the  relief  steamer  inside  of  a  day.  Still 
the  nervous,  eccentric  man  declared  that  he  would 
keep  watch. 

Morning  came,  and  castaways  brought  to 
breakfast  a  better  appetite  than  they  had  had  in 
some  time.  They  were  allowed  larger  rations, 
too,  for  it  was  seen  that  they  would  have  just 
enough  food  to  last  until  taken  off. 

"We  didn't  need  to  have  made  the  big  raft," 
said  Mr.  Fenwick,  as  Tom  came  down  from  his 
station,  to  report  that  he  had  been  in  communi- 
cation with  the  Cambaranian  and  that  she  was 
proceeding  under  forced  draught.  "We'll  not 
have  to  embark  on  it,  and  I'm  glad  of  it." 

"Oh,  we  may  need  it  yet,"  asserted  Mr.  Par- 
ker. "I  have  been  making  some  observations 
just  now,  and  the  island  is  in  a  very  precarious 
state.  It  is,  I  believe,  resting  on  only  a  slim 
foundation,  and  the  least  shock  may  break  that 
off,  and  send  it  into  the  sea.  That  is  what  my 
observations  point  out." 

"Then  I  wish  you  wouldn't  make  any  more 
observations !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Nestor,  with  spirit. 
"You  make  me  nervous." 

"And  me,  also,"  added  Mrs.  Anderson. 

"Science  can  not  deceive,  madam,"  retorted 
Mr.  Parker. 


202     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"Weil  it  can  keep  quiet  about  what  it  knows, 
and  not  make  a  person  have  cold  chills,"  replied 
Mary's  mother.  "I'm  sure  we  will  be  rescued 
in  time." 

There  was  a  slight  tremor  of  an  earthquake, 
as  they  were  eating  dinner  that  day,  but,  aside 
from  causing  a  little  alarm  it  did  no  damage.  In 
the  afternoon,  Tom  again  called  up  the  approach- 
ing steamer,  and  was  informed  that,  because  of 
a  slight  accident,  it  could  not  arrive  until 
the  next  morning.  Every  effort  would  be  made 
to  keep  up  speed,  it  was  said.  There  was  much 
disappointment  over  this,  and  Mr.  Damon  was 
observed  to  be  closely  examining  the  food  supply, 
but  hope  was  too  strong  to  be  easily  shattered 
now. 

Mr.  Parker  went  off  alone,  to  make  some  fur- 
ther "observations"  as  he  called  them,  but  Mr. 
Hosbrook  warned  him  never  again  to  speak  o\ 
his  alarming  theories. 

Mr.  Barcoe  Jenks  called  Tom  aside  just  before 
supper  that  evening. 

"I  haven't  forgotten  what  I  said  to  you  about 
my  diamonds,"  he  remarked,  with  many  nods 
and  winks.  "'I'll  show  you  how  to  make  them,  ii 
you  will  help  me.  Did  you  ever  see  diamonds 
made?" 

"No,  and  I  guess  very  few  persons  have," 


WE  ARE  LOST!" 


203 


plied  the  lad,  thinking  perhaps  Mr.  Jenks  might 
not  be  quite  right,  mentally. 

The  night  passed  without  alarm,  and  in  the 
morning,  at  the  first  blush  of  dawn,  every  one 
was  astir,  looking  eagerly  across  the  se  i  for  a 
eight  of  the  steamer. 

Tom  had  just  come  down  from  the  wireless 
station,  having  received  a  message  to  the  effect 
that  a  few  hours  more  would  bring  the  Cam- 
baranian  within  sight  of  the  island. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  tremendous  shock,  as  if 
Borne  great  cannon  had  been  fired,  and  the  whole 
island  shook  to  its  very  centre. 

"Another  earthquake!  The  worst  yet!" 
Bcreamed  Mrs.  Anderson. 

"We  are  lost!"  cried  Mrs.  Nestor,  clinging  to 
her  husband. 

An  instant  later  they  were  all  thrown  down  by 
the  tremor  of  the  earth,  and  Tom,  looking  toward 
his  wireless  station,  saw  nearly  half  of  the  island 
disappear  from  sight.  His  station  went  down 
in  collapse  with  it,  splashing  into  the  ocean,  and 
the  wave  that  followed  the  terrible  crash  washed 
nearly  to  the  castaways,  as  they  rose  and  kneeled 
on  the  sand. 

"The  island  is  sinking !"  cried  Mr.  Parker. 
"Make  for  the  raft !" 

"I  guess  it's  our  only  chance,"  murmured  Cap- 


204     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

tain  Mentor,  as  he  gazed  across  the  water.  There 
was  no  steamer  in  sight.  Could  it  arrive  on 
time?  The  tremors  and  shaking  of  the  island 
continued. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

THE  RESCUE — CONCLUSION 

DOWN  to  where  the  small  raft  was  moored 
ran  Mr.  Parker.  He  was  followed  by  some  of 
the  others. 

"We  must  put  off  at  once !"  he  cried.  "Half 
the  island  is  gone !  The  other  half  may  disappear 
any  moment!  The  steamer  can  not  get  here  on 
time,  but  if  we  put  off  they  may  pick  us  up,  if  we 
x.re  not  engulfed  in  the  ocean.  Help,  everybody !" 

Tom  gave  one  more  look  at  where  his  wirelesi 
station  had  been.  It  had  totally  disappeared,  thei  e 
being,  at  the  spot,  now  but  a  sheer  cliff,  which 
went  right  down  into  the  sea. 

The  women  were  in  tears.  The  men,  with 
pale  faces,  tried  to  calm  them.  Gradually  the 
earthquake  tremor  passed  away;  but  who  could 
tell  when  another  would  come? 

Captain  Mentor,  Mr.  Hosbrook  and  the  others 
were  shoving  out  the  small  raft.  They  intended, 
to  get  aboard,  and  paddle  out  to  the  larger  one> 
205 


206     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

which  had  been  moored  some  distance  away,  in 
readiness  for  some  such  emergency  as  this. 

"Come  on!"  cried  Mr.  Fenwick  to  Tom  who 
was  lingering  behind.  "Come  on,  ladies.  We 
must  all  get  aboard,  or  it  may  be  too  late !" 

The  small  raft  was  afloat.  Mrs.  Anderson  and 
Mrs.  Nestor,  weeping  hysterically,  waded  out 
through  the  water  to  get  aboard. 

"Have  we  food?"  cried  Mr.  Damon.  "Bless 
my  kitchen  range !  but  I  nearly  forgot  that." 

"There  isn't  any  food  left  to  take,"  answered 
Mrs.  Anderson. 

"Shove  off!"  cried  Captain  Mentor. 

At  that  instant  a  haze  which  had  hung  over 
the  water,  was  blown  to  one  side.  The  horizon 
suddenly  cleared.  Tom  Swift  looked  up  and  gave 
a  cry. 

"The  steamer!  The  steamer!  The  Cambar 
ranianl"  he  shouted,  pointing  to  it. 

The  others  joined  in  his  exclamations  of  joy, 
for  there,  rushing  toward  Earthquake  Island  was 
a  great  steamer,  crowding  on  all  speed ! 

"Saved!  Saved!"  cried  Mrs.  Nestor,  sinking 
to  her  knees  even  in  the  water. 

"It  came  just  in  time!"  murmured  Mr.  Hos- 
brook. 

"Now  I  can  make  my  diamonds,"  whispered 
Mr.  Jenks  to  Tom. 


THE  RESCUE-CONCLUSION  207 

"Push  off!  Push  off!"  cried  Mr.  Parker. 
"The  island  will  sink,  soon!" 

"I  think  we  will  be  safer  on  the  island  than  on 
the  raft,"  declared  Captain  Mentor.  "We  had 
better  land  again." 

They  left  the  little  raft,  and  stood  on  the  shore 
of  the  island.  Eagerly  they  watched  the  approach 
of  the  steamer.  They  could  make  out  hands  and 
handkerchiefs  waving  to  them  now.  There  was 
eager  hope  in  every  heart. 

Suddenly,  some  distance  out  in  the  water,  and 
near  where  the  big  raft  was  anchored,  there  was 
a  curious  upheaval  of  the  ocean.  It  was  as  if  a 
submarine  mine  had  exploded!  The  sea  swirled 
and  foamed! 

"It's  a  good  thing  we  didn't  go  out  there,"  ob- 
served Captain  Mentor.  "We  would  have  been 
swamped,  sure  as  guns." 

Almost  as  he  spoke  the  big  raft  was  tossed  high 
into  the  air,  and  fell  back,  breaking  up.  The 
castaway:;  shuddered.  Yet  were  they  any  safer 
on  the  island?  They  fancied  they  could  feel  the 
little  part  of  it  that  remained  trembling  under 
their  feet. 

"The  steamer  is  stopping!"  cried  Mr.  Damon, 

Surely  enough  the  Cambaranian  had  slowed  up. 
Was  she  not  going  to  complete  the  rescue  she  had 
begun? 


208     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

"She's  going  to  launch  her  lifeboats,"  de- 
clared Captain  Mentor.  "Her  commander  dar? 
not  approach  too  close,  not  knowing  the  water. 
He  might  hit  on  a  rock." 

A  moment  later  and  two  lifeboats  were  low- 
ered, and,  urged  on  by  the  sturdy  arms  of  the 
sailors,  they  bounded  over  the  waves.  The  sea 
seemed  to  be  more  and  more  agitated. 

"It  is  the  beginning  of  the  end,"  murmured 
Mr.  Parker.  "The  island  will  soon  disappear." 

"Will  you  be  quiet?"  demanded  Mr.  Damon, 
giving  the  scientist  a  nudge  in  the  ribs. 

The  lifeboats  were  close  at  hand  now. 

"Are  you  all  there?"  shouted  some  one,  evi- 
dently in  command. 

"All  here,"  answered  Tom. 

*Then  hurry  aboard.  There  seems  to  be  some- 
thing going  on  in  these  waters — perhaps  a  sub- 
marine volcano  eruption.  We  must  get  away  in 
a  hurry !" 

The  boats  came  in  to  the  shelving  beach.  There 
was  a  little  stretch  of  water  between  them  and 
the  sand.  Through  this  the  castaways  waded, 
and  soon  they  were  grasped  by  the  sailors  and 
.helped  in.  In  the  reaction  of  their  worriment 
Mrs.  Anderson  and  Mrs.  Nestor  were  both  weep- 
ing, but  their  tears  were  those  of  joy. 

"Give   way  now,   men!"   cried   the   mate  in 


THE  RESCUE— CONCLUSION  209 

charge  of  the  boats.  "We  must  get  back  to  the 
ship!" 

The  sea  was  now  swirling  angrily,  but  the 
sailors,  who  had  been  in  worse  turmoils  than  this, 
rowed  on  steadily. 

"We  feared  you  would  not  get  here  in  time," 
said  Tom  to  the  mate. 

"We  were  under  forced  draught  most  of  the 
way,"  was  his  answer.  "Your  wireless  message 
came  just  in  time.  An  hour  later  and  our  opera- 
tor would  have  gone  to  bed." 

The  young  inventor  realized  by  what  a  narrow 
margin  they  had  been  rescued. 

"The  island  will  soon  sink,"  predicted  Mr. 
Parker,  as  they  reached  the  steamer,  and  boarded 
her.  Captain  Valasquez,  who  was  in  command, 
warmly  welcomed  the  castaways. 

"We  will  hear  your  story  later,"  he  said. 
"Just  now  I  want  to  get  out  of  these  dangerous 
waters." 

He  gave  the  order  for  full  speed,  and,  as  the 
Cambamnian  got  under  way,  Tom,  and  the 
others,  standing  on  the  deck,  looked  back  at 
Earthquake  Island. 

Suddenly  there  sounded  a  dull,  rumbling  re- 
port. The  whole  ocean  about  the  island  seeno^ 
to  upheave.  There  was  a  gigantic  shower  01 


210     TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

spray,  a  sound  like  an  explosion,  and  when  the 
waters  subsided  the  island  had  sunk  from  sight 

"I  told  you  it  would  go,"  cried  Mr.  Parker, 
triumphantly,  but  the  horror  of  it  all — the  horror 
of  the  fate  that  would  have  been  theirs  had 
they  remained  there  an  hour  longer — held  the 
castaways  dumb.  The  scientist's  honor  of  hav- 
ing correctly  predicted  the  destruction  of  the 
island  was  an  empty  one. 

The  agitation  of  the  sea  rocked  even  the  mighty 
Cambaranian  and,  had  our  friends  been  aboard 
the  frail  raft,  they  would  surely  have  perished 
in  the  sea.  As  it  was,  they  were  safe — -saved  by 
Tom  Swift's  wireless  message. 

The  steamer  resumed  her  voyage,  and  the  cast- 
aways told  their  story.  Captain  Valasquez  re- 
fused to  receive  the  large  amount  of  money  Mr. 
Hasbrook  and  Mr.  Jenks  would  have  paid  him  for 
the  rescue,  accepting  only  a  sum  he  figured  that 
he  had  lost  by  the  delay,  which  was  not  a  great 
deal.  The  castaways  were  given  the  best  aboard 
the  ship,  and  their  stories  were  listened  to  by  the 
other  passengers  with  bated  breath. 

In  due  time  they  were  landed  in  New  York, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nestor  accompanied  Tom  to 
Shopton.  Mr.  Damon,  with  many  blessings  also 
accompanied  them,  going  to  his  home  in  Water- 
field.  Later  it  was  learned  that  the  other  boats 


THE  RESCUE— CONCLUSION  211 

from  the  Resolute  had  been  picked  up,  and  the 
jailors  and  guests  were  all  saved. 

Of  course,  as  soon  as  our  friends  had  been  res- 
cued by  the  steamer,  the  wireless  operator  aboard 
her,  with  whom  Tom  soon  struck  up  an  acquaint- 
ance, sent  messages  to  the  relatives  of  the  cast- 
aways, apprising  them  of  their  safety. 

And  the  joy  of  Mary  Nestor,  when  she  found 
that  it  was  Tom  who  had  saved  her  parents,  can 
well  be  imagined.  As  for  our  hero,  well,  he  was 
glad  too — for  Mary's  sake. 

"I  won't  forget  my  promise  to  you,  Torn 
Swift,"  said  Mr.  Barcoe  Jenks,  as  he  parted  from 
the  young  inventor,  and  what  the  promise  was  will 
be  told  in  the  next  volume  of  this  series,  to  be 
called :  "Tom  Swift  Among  the  Diamond  Makers ; 
or,  The  Secret  of  Phantom  Mountain."  In  that 
Tom  is  destined  to  have  many  more  surprising 
adventures,  as  is  also  Mr.  Damon,  who  learned 
new  ways  to  call  down  blessings  on  himself  and 
his  possessions. 

And  now,  for  a  time,  we  will  take  leave  of  the 
young  inventor  and  also  of  his  many  friends,  who 
never  ceased  to  wonder  over  Tom  Swift's  skill 
with  the  wireless. 

THE   END 


This  Isn't  All! 


Would  you  like  to  know  what 
became  of  the  good  friends  you 
have  made  in  this  book? 

Would  you  like  to  read  other 
stories  continuing  their  adventures 
and  experiences,  or  other  books 
quite  as  entertaining  by  the  same 
author? 

On  the  reverse  side  of  the  wrap- 
per which  comes  with  this  book, 
you  will  find  a  wonderful  list  of 
stories  which  you  can  buy  at  the 
same  store  where  you  got  this  book. 

Don't  throw  away  the  Wrapper 

Use  it  as  a  handy  catalog  of  the  books 
you  want  some  day  to  have.  *But  in 
case  you  do  mislay  it,  write  to  the 
^Publishers  for  a  complete  catalog. 


THE  TOM  SWIFT  SERIES 

By  VICTOR  APPLETON 

Uniform  Style   of  Binding.      Individual   Colored  Wrappers. 
Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

Every  boy  possesses  some  form  of  inventive  genius. 
Tom  Swift  is  a  bright,  ingenious  boy  and  his  inventions 
and  adventures  make  the  most  interesting  kind  of  reading. 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  CYCLE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  MOTOR  BOAT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRSHIP 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SUBMARINE  BOAT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RUNABOUT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIRELESS  MESSAGE 

TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  DIAMOND  MAKERS 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CAVES  OF  ICE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  SKY  RACER 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  RIFLE 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  CITY  OF  GOLD 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIR  GLIDER 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  CAPTIVITY 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WIZARD  CAMERA 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GREAT  SEARCHLIGHT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GIANT  CANNON 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  PHOTO  TELEPHONE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AERIAL  WARSHIP 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  BIG  TUNNEL 

TOM  SWIFT  IN  THE  LAND  OF  WONDERS 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  WAR  TANK 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIR  SCOUT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  UNDERSEA  SEARCH 

TOM  SWIFT  AMONG  THE  FIRE  FIGHTERS 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  ELECTRIC  LOCOMOTIVE 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  FLYING  BOAT 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  GREAT  OIL  GUSHER 

TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  CHEST  OF  SECRETS 
TOM  SWIFT  AND  HIS  AIRLINE  EXPRESS 

GROSSET  &  DUNXAP,         PUBLISHERS,          NEW  YORK 


THE    DON    STURDY    SERIES 

_ By  VICTOR  APPLETON 

Individual  Colored  Wrappers  and  Text  Illustrations  by 

WALTER  S.  ROGERS 
Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself 

In  company  with  his  uncles,  one  a  mighty  hunter  and 
the  other  a  noted  scientist,  Don  Sturdy  travels  far  and  wide, 
gaining  much  useful  know-ledge  and  meeting  many  thrill- 
ing adventures. 

DON  STURDY  ON  THE  DESERT  OF  MYS- 
Or,  Autoing  in  the  Land  of  the  Caravans.  TERYj 

An  engrossing  tale  of  the  Sahara  Desert,  of  encounters 
with  wild  animals  and  crafty  Arabs. 

DON  STURDY  WITH  THE  BIG  SNAKE 
Or,  Lost  in  the  Jungles  of  the  Amazon.  HUNTERS; 
Don's  uncle,  the  hunter,  took  an  order  for  some  of  the 
biggest  snakes  to  be  found  in  South  America — to  be  deliv- 
ered alive  !  The  filling  of  that  order  brought  keen  excite* 
ment  to  the  boy. 

DON  STURDY  IN  THE  TOMBS  OF  GOLD; 
Or,  The  Old  Egyptian's  Great  Secret. 

A  fasainating  tale  of  exploration  and  adventure  in  the 
Valley  of  Kings  in  Egypt.  Once  the  whole  party  became 
lost  in  the  maze  of  cavelike  tombs  far  underground. 

DON  STURDY  ACROSS  THE  NORTH  POLE; 
Or,  Cast  Away  in  the  Land  of  Ice. 

Don  and  his  uncles  joined  an  expedition  bound  by  air 
across  the  north  pole.  A  great  polar  blizzard  nearly  wrecks 
the  airship. 

DON  STURDY  IN  THE  LAND  OF  VOLCANOES; 

Or,  The  Trail  of  the  Ten  Thousand  Smokes. 

An  absorbing  tale  of  adventures  among  the  volcanoes  of 
Alaska  in  a  territory  but  recently  explored.  A  story  that 
wiH  make  Don  dearer  to  his  readers  than  ever. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,          PUBLISHERS,         NEW  YORK 


THE    RADIO    BOYS   SERIES 

(Trademark  Registered) 

By  ALLEN  CHAPMAN 

Author  of  the  "Railroad  Series,"  Etc. 

Individual  Colored  Wrapper*.     Illustrated. 
Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

A  new  series  for  boys  giving  full  details  of  radio  work, 
both  in  sending  and  receiving — telling  how  small  and 
large  amateur  sets  can  be  made  and  operated,  and  how 
some  boys  got  a  lot  of  fun  and  adventure  out  of  what  they 
did.  Each  volume  from  first  to  last  is  so  thoroughly  fas, 
cinating,  so  strictly  up-to-date  and  accurate,  we  feel  sura 
all  lads  will  peruse  them  with  great  delight. 

Each  volume  has  a  Foreword  by  Jack  Binns,  the  weUL 
known  radio  expert. 

THE  RADIO  BOYS'  FIRST  WIRELESS; 
Or,  Winning  the  Ferberton  Prize, 

THE  RADIO  BOYS  AT  OCEAN  POINT; 

Or,  The  Messsage  That  Saved  the  Ship. 

THE  RADIO  BOYS  AT  THE  SENDING 

Or,  Making  Good  in  the  Wireless  Room.    STATION? 

THE  RADIO  BOYS  AT  MOUNTAIN  PASS* 
Or,  The  Midnight  Call  for  Assistance. 

THE  RADIO  BOYS  TRAILING  A  VOICE; 

Or,  Solving  a  Wireless  Mystery. 

THE  RADIO  BOYS  WITH  THE  FOREST 

Or,  The  Great  Fire  on  Spruce  Mountain.    RANGERS* 

THE  RADIO  BOYS  WITH  THE  ICEBERG 

Or,  Making  Safe  the  Ocean  Lanes.  PATROL; 

RADIO  BOYS  WITH  THE  FLOOD  FIGHTERS; 
Or,  Saving  the  City  in  the  Valley. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,         PUBLISHERS,         NEW 


THE  RAILROAD  SERIES 

Bfr  AIXJEN  CHAPMAN 
Author  of  tfce  "Radio  Boys,"  Etc. 

Uniform  Style  of  Binding.     Illustrated, 
Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

In  this  line  of  books  there  is  revealed  the  whole  workings 
of  a  great  American  railroad  system.  There  are  adventures 
in  abundance — railroad  wrecks',  dashes  through  forest  fires, 
the  pursuit  of  a  "wildcat"  locomotive,  the  disappearance  of 
a  pay  car  with  a  large  sum  of  money  on  board — but  there 
is  much  more  than  this — the  intense  rivalry  among  railroads 
and  railroad  men,  the  working  out  of  running  schedules, 
the  getting  through  "on  time"  in  spite  of  all  obstacles,  and 
the  manipulation  of  railroad  securities  by  evil  men  wbo 
•wish  to  rule  or  ruin. 

RALPH  OF  THE  ROUND  HOUSE; 
Or,  Bound  to  Become  a  Railroad  Man. 

RALPH  IN  THE  SWITCH  TOWER; 
Or,  Clearing  the  Track. 

RALPH  ON  THE  ENGINE; 

Or,  The  Young  Fireman  of  the  Limited  MaiV 

RALPH  ON  THE  OVERLAND  EXPRESS; 

Or,  The  Trials  and  Triumphs  of  a  Young  Engineer. 

RALPH,  THE  TRAIN  DISPATCHER; 

Or,  the  Mystery  of  the  Pay  Car. 

RALPH  ON  THE  ARMY  TRAIN; 

Or,  The  Young  Railroader's  Most  Daring  Exploit. 

RALPH  ON  THE  MIDNIGHT  FLYER; 
Or,  The  Wreck  at  Shadow  Valley. 

RALPH  AND  THE  MISSING  MAIL  POUCH; 
Or,  The  Stolen  Government  Bonds. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,    PUBLISHERS,  NEW  YORK 


THE  RIDDLE  CLUB    BOOKS 

By  ALICE  DALE  HARDY 

Individual  Colored  Wrappers      Attractively  Illustrated. 
Every  Volume  Complete  in  Itself. 

Here  is  as  ingenious  a  series  of  books  for  little  folks  as 
has  ever  appeared  since  "  Alice  in  Wonderland."  The  idea 
of  the  Riddle  books  is  a  little  group  of  children — three  girls 
and  three  boys  decide  to  term  a  riddle  club.  Each  book  is 
full  of  the  adventures  and  doings  of  these  six  youngsters. 
but  as  an  added  attraction  each  book  is  filled  with  a  lot  01 
the  best  riddles  you  ever  heard. 

THE  RIDDLE  CLUB  AT  HOME 

An  absorbing  tale  that  all  boys  and  girls  will  enjoy  reading. 
How  the  members  of  the  club  fixed  up  a  clubroom  in  the  Larue 
barn,  and  how  they,  later  on,  helped  solve  a  most  mysterious 
happening,  and  how  one  of  the  members  won  a  valuable  prize, 
is  told  in  a  manner  to  please  every  young  reader. 

THE  RIDDLE  CLUB  IN  CAMP 

The  club  members  went  into  camp  on  the  edge  of  a  beautiful 
lake.  Here  they  had  rousing  good  times  swimming,  boating 
and  around  the  campfire.  They  fell  in  with  a  mysterious  old  man 
known  as  The  Hermit  of  Triangle  Island.  Nobody  knew  his 
real  name  or  where  he  came  from  until  the  propounding  of  a 
riddle  solved  these  perplexing  questions. 

THE  RIDDLE  CLUB  THROUGH  THE 

HOLIDAYS 

This  volume  takes  in  a  great  number  of  winter  sports,  includ- 
ing skating  and  sledding  and  the  building  of  a  huge  snowman. 
It  also  gives  the  particulars  of  how  the  club  treasurer  lost  the 
dues  entrusted  to  his  care  and  what  the  melting  of  the  great 
snowman  revealed. 

THE  RIDDLE  CLUB  AT  SUNRISE  BEACH 

This  volume  tells  how  the  club  journeyed  to  the  seashore  and 
how  they  not  only  kept  up  their  riddles  but  likewise  had  good 
times  on  the  sand  and  on  the  water.  Once  they  got  lost  in  a  tog 
and  are  marooned  on  an  island.  Here  they  made  a  discovery 
that  greatly  pleased  the  folks  at  home. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,    PUBLISHERS,   NEW  YORK 


THE    HONEY    BUNCH   BOOKS 

By  HELEN  LOUISE  THORNDYKE 

Individual  Colored  Wrappers  and  Text  Illustrations  Drawn  by 
WALTER  S.  ROGERS 

A  new  line  of  fascinating  tales  for  little  girls.  Honey 
Bunch  is  a  dainty,  thoughtful  little  girl,  and  to  know  her 
is  to  take  her  to  your  heart  at  once. 

HONEY  BUNCH:  JUST  A  LITTLE  GIRL 

Happy  day*  at  home,  helping  mamma  and  the  washerlady.  And  Honeir 
Bunch  helped  the  house  painters  too  —  or  thought  she  did. 

HONEY  BUNCH:  HER  FIRST  VISIT  TO  THE 


What  wonderful  sights  Honey  Bunch  saw  when  she  went  to  visit  her 
cousins  in  New  York  !  And  she  got  lost  in  a  big  hotel  and  wandered  into 
a  men's  convention  ! 

HONEY  BUNCH:  HER  FIRST  DAYS  ON  THE 

FARM 

Can  you  remember  how  the  farm  looked  the  first  time  you  visited  it? 
How  big  the  cows  and  horses  were,  and  what  a  roomy  place  to  play  in  the 
barn  proved  to  be? 

HONEY  BUNCH:  HER  FIRST  VISIT  TO  THE 

SEASHORE 

Honey  Bunch  soon  got  used  to  the  big  waves  and  thought  playing  in  tb» 
sand  great  fun.  And  she  visited  a  merry-go-round,  and  took  part  in  a  sea- 
side pageant. 

HONEY  BUNCH:   HER  FIRST  LITTLE 

GARDEN 

It  was  great  sport  to  dig  and  to  plant  with  one's  own  little  garden  tools. 
But  best  of  ail  was  when  Honey  Bunch  won  a  prize  at  the  flower  show. 

HONEY  BUNCH:   HER  FIRST  DAYS  IN  CAMP 

It  was  a  great  adventure  for  Honey  Bunch  when  she  journeyed  to  Camp 
Snapdragon.  It  was  wonderful  to  watch  the  men  erect  the  tent,  and  more 
wonderful  to  live  in  it  and  have  good  times  on  the  shore  and  in  the  water. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,    PUBLISHERS,    NEW  YORK 


THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  SERIES 

By  LAURA  LEE  HOPE 
Author  of  the  "Bobbsey  Twins,"  "Bunny  Brown"  Series,  Etc, 

Uniform  Style    of    Binding.       Individual   Colored  Wrapper*. 
Every  Volume  Complete   in  Itself. 

These  tales  take  in  the  various  adventures  participated 
in  by  several  bright,  up-to-date  girls  who  love  outdoor  life. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  OF  DEEPDALE  ; 

Or,  Camping  and  Tramping  for  Fun  and  Health. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT  RAINBOW  LAKE ; 

Or,  The  Stirring  Cruise  of  the  Motor  Boat  Gem. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  A  MOTOR  CAR  ; 

Or,  The  Haunted  Mansion  of  Shadow  Valley. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  A  WINTER  CAMP  j 
Or,  Glorious  Days  on  Skates  and  Ice  Boats. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  FLORIDA  ; 
Or,  Wintering  in  the  Sunny  South. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT  OCEAN  VIEW ; 

Or,  The  Box  That  Was  Found  in  the  Sand. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  ON  PINE  ISLAND  ; 
Or,  A  Cave  and  What  it  Contained. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  ARMY  SERVICE  ; 
Or,  Doing  Their  Bit  for  Uncle  Sam. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT  THE  HOSTESS 
Or,  Doing  Their  Best  For  the  Soldiers.  HOUSE  ; 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT  BLUFF  POINT  ; 
Or,  A  Wreck  and  A  Rescue. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AT  WILD  ROSE 
Or,  The  Hermit  of  Moonlight  Falls.  LODGE  j 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  IN  THE  SADDLE  ; 
Or,  The  Girl  Miner  of  Gold  Run. 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  AROUND  THE 

Or,  The  Old  Maid  of  the  Mountains.  C AMPFIRE ; 

THE  OUTDOOR  GIRLS  ON  CAPE  COD  },  ,  o 

Or,  Sally  Ann  of  Lighthouse  Rock. 

GROSSET  &  DUNLAP,  PUBLISHER*.  NEW  YORK 


University  of  California  Library 
Los  Angeles 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


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